Author Topic: Telesat's Lightspeed LEO Constellation  (Read 35800 times)

Offline gongora

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Telesat's Lightspeed LEO Constellation
« on: 10/20/2017 08:30 pm »
Telesat, headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, is one of the companies planning a LEO broadband constellation.  They are on track to launch test satellites ahead of both SpaceX and OneWeb (although OneWeb is ahead of everyone else for production satellites), have ITU priority in Ka band, and should be one of the next two constellations approved by the FCC to access the U.S. market.  Their FCC filing can be found here.

In 2016 Telesat ordered two test satellites:
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OTTAWA, CANADA, April 27, 2016 – Telesat, a leading global satellite operator, has procured two prototype Ka-band satellites for operation in low earth orbit (LEO) that Telesat anticipates launching mid-to-late 2017 as part of a test and validation phase for an advanced, global LEO satellite constellation that Telesat is developing. Through an authorization issued by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Telesat has secured priority rights to certain Ka-band spectrum in non-geostationary orbits (NGSO) at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to operate such a constellation.

Telesat has contracted with Space Systems Loral (SSL) of Palo Alto, California, and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), an independent British company within the Airbus Defence & Space group, for the procurement of the prototypes. By drawing on the advanced technologies and expertise of these leading manufacturers, Telesat will test and demonstrate two distinct spacecraft in LEO, a key step in optimizing the design and performance of Telesat’s contemplated LEO constellation.

SpaceNews published a Q&A with Erwin Hudson, VP of Telesat LEO that is worth reading:
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...
Our two Phase 1 LEO satellites will be launching later this year. One is being built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. based in the U.K., a company within the Airbus Defence and Space group. It will be placed into LEO orbit using an ISRO Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The second is being built by Space Systems Loral, partnering with the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto, and will be delivered to orbit on a Soyuz launcher.
...
« Last Edit: 08/12/2023 05:43 pm by gongora »

Offline gongora

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https://iz.ru/664893/dmitrii-strugovetc-anastasiia-sinitckaia/novaia-orbita-vostochnogo
Google translate:
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In total, 17 sats are planned to be put into orbit from the Russian territory, among them LEO Vantage and AISSat-3 (both Canada), IDEA (Japan), SEAM (Sweden), two Landmapper-BC and 10 LEMUR (all USA), D- Star One (Germany).
As part of Roscosmos' commitments, the Russian student satellite Baumanets-2 will also be launched.

First of the Telesat LEO prototypes scheduled to launch Nov. 28, only weighs 70kg.

Online TrevorMonty

There is podcast interview with Dan Goldberg of Telesat on spaceq.ca 19th Oct.

One market they are targeting is polar sites eg, mining, oil rig, military bases which struggle to get coverage from GEO sats.

With more mining moving to robotic remote control equipment, reliable low latency high band width data is vitual.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk


Offline gongora

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SSL Small Satellite for Telesat Delivered to Launch Base in Eastern Russia

Will be one of Telesat’s two satellites launching into Low Earth Orbit this year as part of company’s planned global constellation

Palo Alto, CA – November 7, 2017 – SSL, a business unit of Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.) (NYSE: MAXR; TSX: MAXR), announced today that the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) communications satellite it recently provided to Telesat has arrived at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Eastern Russia where it will launch aboard a Soyuz-2 vehicle provided by Glavkosmos. This will be one of two Telesat Phase 1 satellites planned for launch this year that will allow Telesat to start testing key performance parameters of its next generation global LEO constellation.

“Developing this innovative LEO spacecraft for Telesat demonstrates our strength in collaborating with partners to meet new space goals,” said Dario Zamarian, group president of SSL. “With this satellite for Telesat, we have taken an entirely fresh approach to designing a high performing smallsat that will advance Telesat’s plans to launch an important next-generation business.”

The launch of this Phase 1 LEO will be a key step in Telesat’s goal to accelerate the world’s digital transformation by providing, through its LEO constellation, high performing, cost effective, fiber-like connectivity anywhere on the planet for business, government and individual users.

“Telesat’s LEO constellation will deliver fiber-like broadband on a global basis to commercial and government markets, and the launch of our Phase 1 LEO satellites is the starting point in making this next generation system a reality,” said Dave Wendling, Chief Technical Officer of Telesat. “Telesat is grateful to SSL for their many contributions during the design and construction of this innovative spacecraft. We look forward to a successful launch and beginning testing on our Phase 1 LEO satellites shortly after.” 

SSL has worked with Telesat for nearly 20 years to expand its satellite fleet and there are currently two Telesat geostationary satellites in production at SSL’s Palo Alto facility, where the company integrates space proven building blocks with technology advances that enable better performance and more power and capacity for broadcast and broadband applications. 

Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO smallsat is expected to launch in late November from Eastern Russia’s newest launch base, together with a Russian weather observation satellite and several other co-passengers. SSL partnered with the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) of Toronto, Canada to build the spacecraft and SFL is managing launch base mission operations.

SSL’s growing LEO business includes satellites for Earth Observation, Communications and Satellite Servicing, and demonstrates the company’s agility in implementing new technologies and processes to drive innovation.

Offline gongora

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[SpaceNews Nov. 6, 2017] FCC grants Telesat LEO market access despite ViaSat protests

Following market approval given to OneWeb in June, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Nov. 3 granted global fleet operator Telesat permission to reach the U.S. with a constellation of 117 low-Earth orbit satellites.

...

Canada-based Telesat is the second LEO constellation after OneWeb to receive market access from the United States.

The FCC also granted Space Norway market access Nov. 3 to reach the U.S. with two satellites in non-geostationary elliptical orbits. Both Telesat and ViaSat sought to block Space Norway.

I don't see this on the FCC site yet.

Offline gongora

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Soyuz Failure Results in Loss of First Telesat Phase 1 LEO Satellite

Vostochny Cosmodrome, Eastern Russia, November 28, 2017 – Telesat learned this morning that the Soyuz 2 launch vehicle that was to place 19 spacecraft into orbit, including Telesat’s first Phase 1 LEO satellite, has failed.

Notwithstanding this failure, Telesat’s plans to develop a state-of-the-art, high capacity LEO constellation that will deliver transformative, low latency, fiber-like broadband to commercial and government users worldwide, remain on track. A second Phase 1 LEO satellite is scheduled for launch in the coming weeks on ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Sriharikota launch site.

Offline gongora

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[Space News] PSLV launch a milestone for India and several companies
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The successful launch of an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Jan. 11 marked not just the return to flight of the rocket but also major achievements for several of the companies with payloads on board the vehicle.
...
Canadian satellite operator Telesat also had a payload on the rocket, one of its two demonstration satellites for its planned low Earth orbit constellation. The 168-kilogram LEO Phase 1 satellite, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. in the United Kingdom, will test technologies Telesat plans to use in a 120-satellite constellation the company plans to deploy by 2021. The other satellite, built by the University of Toronto’s Space Flight Laboratory, was lost on a failed Soyuz launch in November.

“The launch of our Phase 1 satellite is the starting point in making our next generation LEO system a reality and we thank SSTL and ISRO for the success of the mission to date,” Dan Goldberg, president and CEO of Telesat, said in a statement. The company said it will use the satellite in trials with a number of customers in “growing enterprise segments” later in the year.

Offline gongora

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Tweet from Jonathan McDowell:
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Another interesting object from the January PSLV launch was Telesat's LEO Vantage 1, deployed into a 496 x 508 km orbit. While I wasn't paying attention, it raised orbit slowly between Jan 21 and Apr 5 and is now in a 996 x 1004 km SSO.

Most of the LEO constellation sats will be doing this, including OneWeb (after the first flight) and Starlink.  Deploying at a moderate altitude lets them deorbit within 25 years if a sat is DOA.

Offline gongora

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THALES ALENIA SPACE AND MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES’ SSL FORM CONSORTIUM TO FURTHER DESIGN AND DEVELOP TELESAT’S LEO SATELLITE CONSTELLATION

Telesat has selected consortium to participate in its LEO system ‘design phase’

07/30/2018
CANNES, France and WESTMINSTER, Colo. - July 30, 2018 - Thales Alenia Space, a Joint Venture between Thales (67 %) and Leonardo (33 %),  and SSL, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR; TSX: MAXR), have signed a consortium agreement to pursue the development and manufacture of Telesat’s highly advanced global LEO satellite constellation and end-to-end system. In addition the consortium, led by Thales Alenia Space, announced today that they have been awarded a contract by Telesat for a System Design and Risk Management Project for the Telesat LEO constellation.

Following a highly rigorous process involving leading satellite manufacturing companies, Telesat selected the Thales Alenia Space / Maxar consortium for its LEO design phase based on the consortium’s compelling proposal for the end-to-end system, the maturity of the required technologies, and the competitiveness of its solution. The three companies will work together on the design of the end-to-end system, including satellites, gateways, user terminals, operations centers, and ground network. Telesat will provide funding during this phase and anticipates selecting a prime contractor, either the Thales Alenia Space / Maxar consortium or an alternate team, in mid-2019 for Telesat’s LEO program – space segment, ground segment and system integration.   

Telesat’s LEO constellation will transform global communications by offering an unsurpassed combination of capacity, speed, security, resiliency and low cost with latency performance that is as good or better than the most advanced terrestrial networks. These capabilities will be available globally and will enable Telesat LEO to become a core component in satisfying many of the world’s most challenging communications requirements. Telesat LEO will accelerate 5G expansion, end the digital divide with fiber-like high speed services into rural and remote communities, and establish new levels of performance for commercial and government broadband on land, sea and in the air.

The Thales Alenia Space / Maxar consortium brings proven experience, industrial capability and a strong supplier base for fully integrated communications satellite systems, including payload antenna design, on-board processing and LEO satellite production. The companies have formed fully integrated teams across multiple work streams located in France, the U.S. and Canada in order to apply the consortium’s very best talent to every task. The Thales Alenia Space / Maxar solution will enable Telesat’s LEO constellation to deliver for its customers multi-Terabits of highly secure, low latency communications around the globe at the most competitive cost.

Offline gongora

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Tweet from Peter B. de Selding:
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2's a crowd: @AirbusSpace @AirbusDefence has been hired by Telesat to perform design study for Telesat LEO program. @MDA_maxar @MaxarTech @sslmda & @Thales_Alenia_S are doing a competing study. Decision in early 2019 on who's the prime.

Offline pb2000

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Offline Ronsmytheiii

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https://twitter.com/telesat/status/1090950636957515778

Looks like Alphabet (Google's parent company) picked Telesat as a partner.
« Last Edit: 01/31/2019 08:45 pm by Ronsmytheiii »

Offline Tywin

https://twitter.com/telesat/status/1090950636957515778

Looks like Alphabet (Google's parent company) picked Telesat as a partner.

That's is a little weird, because they are investor in SpaceX (Starlink) and their compete together...
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Offline Cheapchips

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https://twitter.com/telesat/status/1090950636957515778

Looks like Alphabet (Google's parent company) picked Telesat as a partner.

That's is a little weird, because they are investor in SpaceX (Starlink) and their compete together...

Google never have one product when three will do.  :)

Online TrevorMonty

https://twitter.com/telesat/status/1090950636957515778

Looks like Alphabet (Google's parent company) picked Telesat as a partner.

That's is a little weird, because they are investor in SpaceX (Starlink) and their compete together...
Google is likely to be one of biggest customers for these networks. They want secure and fast server to server connections which these constellations can provide. Amazon is also likely to be big  customer of Telesat.

Offline Robotbeat

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I've long thought the Telesat constellation was a more formidable competitor than OneWeb.

People like to act like Musk is all hype and no action (dumb), but Wyler has been hyping OneWeb for much longer, and it STILL hasn't had anything launch. Telesat, on the other hand, has been quietly working.
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline gongora

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I've long thought the Telesat constellation was a more formidable competitor than OneWeb.

People like to act like Musk is all hype and no action (dumb), but Wyler has been hyping OneWeb for much longer, and it STILL hasn't had anything launch. Telesat, on the other hand, has been quietly working.

OneWeb has satellites at the launch pad.  Telesat hasn't even selected a contractor yet.

Offline Robotbeat

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I've long thought the Telesat constellation was a more formidable competitor than OneWeb.

People like to act like Musk is all hype and no action (dumb), but Wyler has been hyping OneWeb for much longer, and it STILL hasn't had anything launch. Telesat, on the other hand, has been quietly working.

OneWeb has satellites at the launch pad.  Telesat hasn't even selected a contractor yet.
Telesat has already launched prototypes over a year ago whereas OneWeb has not. The whole argument that “we can skip prototypes and go straight to production” is incredibly naive for a new company & just because Wyler’s good at hyping that solution doesn’t mean I have to be naive enough to believe it. But the horse race is missing the point: Telesat’s architecture is superior.
« Last Edit: 02/02/2019 04:36 pm by Robotbeat »
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Online TrevorMonty

 Launch is still biggest cost for these large LEO  constellations. I suspect Telesat have been waiting on NG to make this constellation financially viable.

Having a range of future small LVs available for emergency replacement satellites is also big bonus. They can keep few spares on ground and launch them on demand. Launch cost is lot higher but if they never need launching there are big savings to be had.

Offline Tywin

I've long thought the Telesat constellation was a more formidable competitor than OneWeb.

People like to act like Musk is all hype and no action (dumb), but Wyler has been hyping OneWeb for much longer, and it STILL hasn't had anything launch. Telesat, on the other hand, has been quietly working.

OneWeb has satellites at the launch pad.  Telesat hasn't even selected a contractor yet.
Telesat has already launched prototypes over a year ago whereas OneWeb has not. The whole argument that “we can skip prototypes and go straight to production” is incredibly naive for a new company & just because Wyler’s good at hyping that solution doesn’t mean I have to be naive enough to believe it. But the horse race is missing the point: Telesat’s architecture is superior.

Can you say why you consider the architecture of Telesat superior to the Oneweb?

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