QuoteThe network, known in the industry as a constellation, will consist of 298 next-generation satellites that orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 1000 kilometers, or a little over twice the altitude of the International Space Station.Despite what people might claim I do not believe that this is a positive aspect. Higher orbits are worse for space debris and also for light polution.
The network, known in the industry as a constellation, will consist of 298 next-generation satellites that orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 1000 kilometers, or a little over twice the altitude of the International Space Station.
Telesat has designed and will operate the Lightspeed satellites in a manner that ensures that LEO orbits are safely available for other users and that the night sky is safeguarded for astronomical observation.
QuoteOne of the key technologies that Goldberg said the Lightspeed satellites will leverage is intersatellite linksStarlink doesn't currently have inter-satellite links but probably will by the time the Telesat launches.
One of the key technologies that Goldberg said the Lightspeed satellites will leverage is intersatellite links
There have been at least two Starlink satellites launched with the laser interlinks. On September 3rd, 2020, SpaceX announced the two spacecraft had successfully tested the laser interlinks on board the satellites.
TESAT partners with MDA for Telesat Lightspeed Telesat Lightspeed © TelesatBacknang, 22.03.2021: TESAT is honored to announce its collaboration with MDA for the upcoming Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network Telesat Lightspeed. MDA, a Canadian space manufacturer, has been selected to provide one of the critical technology subsystems for this innovative constellation.TESAT has partnered with MDA as part of the development of the Direct Radiating Array (DRA), a revolutionary phased array that will herald the future of satellite communications.MDA will deliver over 1000 units for which TESAT, as a collaboration partner, will provide essential power components. These RF modules are based on TESAT’s longtime heritage and knowhow in the development and production of space equipment, paired with its capability and experience in the high reliable and high volume space module production.“MDA is excited to collaborate with TESAT on the Telesat Lightspeed program. TESAT’s ability to deliver high quality RF modules at a high production rate will be key to the success of the Direct Radiating Array program.”-Amer Khouri, VP Satellite Systems, MDA. About TesatAt TESAT in Backnang, around 1,000 employees develop, manufacture and distribute systems and equipment for telecommunications via satellite. The product range spans from smallest space-specific components to modules, entire assemblies or payloads. As the world's only provider and technology leader of in-orbit-verified optical terminals for data transmission via laser (LCTs), TESAT has a focus on commercial and institutional space programs.About MDAServing the world from its Canadian home and global offices, MDA is an international space mission partner and a robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 50-year story of firsts on and above the Earth. With over 2,000 employees across Canada, the US and the UK, MDA is leading the charge towards viable Moon colonies, enhanced Earth observation, communication in a hyper-connected world, and more. With a track record of making space ambitions come true, MDA enables highly skilled people to continually push boundaries, tackle big challenges, and imagine solutions that inspire and endure to change the world for the better, on the ground and in the stars. www.MDA.space
It has lined up Blue Origin and Relativity Space, which have yet to conduct an orbital launch, and Goldberg said it is in talks with others that he expects to announce this year.He said he is confident Blue Origin will be up and running by the time it needs to launch....The New Glenn rocket Blue Origin is developing could launch around 30 of its satellites at a time, he said, depending on the orbit. SpaceX could launch 15-16 satellites to an inclined orbit on a Falcon 9 and “something like 13” to a polar orbit.Launches will happen “around two years time,” he added.
The Canadian government said May 21 that it will hold an auction for the 3800 MHz band in early 2023 and not Telesat. It is unclear whether Telesat will be compensated for satellites, gateways and other infrastructure it loses as it relocates broadcast services to other parts of the band.C-band holders in the U.S. are getting billions of dollars from the FCC’s auction for reimbursements and incentive payments to expedite the clearing process.However, Canada has a history of revoking spectrum and not providing compensation to incumbent users.
@Thales_Alenia_S will provide the Optical Inter Satellite Links for @Telesat ’s #Lightspeed LEO 298-satellite #constellation http://thls.co/XaHV50F8j1G Building on 20 years of @Thales_Alenia_S ’s expertise in optical communications and optoelectronics instruments in #Switzerland
https://twitter.com/Thales_Alenia_S/status/1403362549299548160Quote@Thales_Alenia_S will provide the Optical Inter Satellite Links for @Telesat ’s #Lightspeed LEO 298-satellite #constellation http://thls.co/XaHV50F8j1G Building on 20 years of @Thales_Alenia_S ’s expertise in optical communications and optoelectronics instruments in #Switzerland
Telesat has struck a deal with Ontario’s government to partly fund its Lightspeed constellation, which will dedicate some of its satellite capacity to improving connectivity in the Canadian province.The Ottawa, Ontario-headquartered satellite operator said the five-year agreement is worth 109 million Canadian dollars ($87 million), and focuses on extending high-speed internet and cellular networks to unserved and underserved communities.Lightspeed, the low Earth orbit broadband constellation that Telesat aims to bring into service in 2023, will offer internet service providers and cellular operators substantially reduced rates for part of its capacity under the plan.
Telesat is close to securing all the funds it needs for Lightspeed, after the Canadian government said it would inject more than a billion dollars into the low Earth orbit constellation.The government plans to invest 1.44 billion Canadian dollars ($1.15 billion) in the project, which aims to start launching a network of nearly 300 broadband satellites next year.In return, Telesat will invest in Canadian infrastructure to build out Lightspeed, including hundreds of jobs and scholarships.It means Telesat has now made arrangements for about 4 billion Canadian dollars of funding for Lightspeed, more than two-thirds of its expected overall cost. Telesat has put a $5 billion price tag on Lightspeed, or 6.3 billion Canadian dollars.
Canadian satellite operator Telesat expects to start publicly trading shares next week, broadening potential funding sources for its delayed $5 billion low Earth orbit Lightspeed broadband network.Telesat expects to finish its merger with Loral Space & Communications, a major shareholder that already trades on the Nasdaq, Nov. 19 following a two-day closing process.<snip>Diversifying funding sources is becoming increasingly important for the operator as pandemic-related component shortages cause delays at Europe’s Thales Alenia Space (TAS), which is prime manufacturer for Lightspeed under a $3 billion contract.Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s CEO, said during the company’s quarterly financial results call Nov. 5 that TAS “recently informed us that the global supply chain issues out there will delay the construction of the Lightspeed satellites, which in turn will delay our getting into commercial service.<snip>A Telesat official said the company does not anticipate any issues with the operator’s ITU filings, however, it will need to seek an extension to meet commitments made with the Federal Communications Commission.“In regards to the FCC, Telesat does not expect to deploy 50% of its currently-authorized satellites prior to the FCC’s 50% deadline of November 3, 2023,” the official told SpaceNews.“However, we can seek a waiver under precedents in which the FCC has extended milestones based on factors such as substantial expenditures and concrete progress toward completion of satellite construction.”
Satellite operator Telesat started trading as a public company Nov. 19 in the U.S. and Canada, boosting talks with export-credit agencies about funding the rest of its $5 billion Lightspeed broadband constellation.Ottawa-based Telesat did not raise cash in listing on Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange by merging with shareholder Loral Space & Communications, but the move should help accelerate years of discussions with debt lenders to secure the final $2 billion it needs for a network comprising nearly 300 satellites in low Earth orbit.<snip>The biggest obstacle in the way of finalizing Telesat Lightspeed’s funding is the uncertainty around the constellation’s deployment schedule, however, as its European manufacturer Thales Alenia Space runs into pandemic-related supply chain issues.Goldberg said Telesat is still waiting to hear from Thales about the magnitude of these delays.“Our teams are meeting on a daily basis figuring this out,” he said, adding that Thales has to “go back through their supply chain and whatnot, so it takes a little bit of time, but we’ll know shortly.”The company does not expect any issues with Telesat Lightspeed’s International Telecommunication Union filings, but it has said it will need an extension to meet deployment commitments made with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.Without a waiver from the FCC, Telesat has to deploy 50% of Lightspeed’s satellites by Nov. 3, 2023.Lightspeed’s manufacturing delays will not result in a “meaningful change” in cost for Telesat, Goldberg added, and potentially give it more time to optimize the network’s design.<snip>He expects to have clarity on Telesat’s discussions with Canada’s export-credit agency, and its counterpart in France, “in the coming months” to finalize the constellation’s financing in the near term.The next step after completing the financing will be to “hit the big green button” on production, according to Goldberg.
Landing stations that can connect to Telesat’s planned low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband network will start being built in spring 2023, according to an executive for the Canadian satellite operator.Danish equipment supplier Cobham SATCOM plans to install the first of 30 global landing stations in Canada, Telesat LEO landing station and user terminal director Aneesh Dalvi said after announcing their partnership Feb. 1.Cobham SATCOM built the landing station for testing the Telesat Phase 1 prototype that was launched to LEO in January 2018, and is also in the process of replacing most of the ground infrastructure for U.S.-based satellite operator Globalstar.
Telesat is considering ordering fewer satellites for its planned low Earth orbit broadband constellation as inflation and supply chain woes drive up the price tag and push out its completion to 2026. During a March 18 earnings call about Telesat’s 2021 results, CEO Dan Goldberg told analysts, “we either need to raise more money, or we need to descope the constellation” to keep it within a previously projected $5 billion budget. Telesat chose Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy in February 2021 as prime contractor for the 298-satellite Lightspeed constellation. By late last year, Thales told Telesat it had run into pandemic-related production delays.
Telesat has upgraded a quarter of its planned low Earth orbit constellation as supply chain issues force it to consider ordering fewer satellites for the delayed broadband network.The Canadian company’s plan to double the antennas onboard Telesat Lightspeed’s first 78 satellites brings the constellation back to a single satellite design that, according to a company executive, will help cut costs as production delays push out the service’s debut a year to 2026.These initial satellites are destined for polar orbits and the changes mean they will have two pairs of antennas like the inclined satellites planned for the rest of the constellation, said Erwin Hudson, Lightspeed’s system development vice president.
Increasing costs and delays have forced Telesat to downsize plans for 298 low Earth orbit satellites by a third to keep within its $5 billion budget.The Canadian satellite operator plans to order just 188 satellites plus 10 in-orbit spares from Thales Alenia Space, Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg said during the company’s May 6 earnings call.That is still enough for the Telesat Lightspeed network to provide “something like 10 terabits of capacity” globally, according to Goldberg, which is more capacity than all current satellites in geostationary orbit combined.
Risky to interpret individual career moves, but Isabelle Buret, @Thales_Alenia_S chief engineer for @Telesat Lightspeed LEO network & former Thales design director for @IridiumComm Next constellation, has left to become VP, advanced system development, at @OneWeb.
.@Telesat Lightspeed @ITU deadline beyond reach, co will ask for extension; new @Thales_Alenia_S inflation-adjusted cost estimate plus @Bpifrance @ExportDevCanada contingency funding demand could increase cost by $1B, to $6B. https://bit.ly/3vPNNDI
Amazon and Telesat said Sept. 21 they have finalized spectrum arrangements to keep their planned satellites in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) from interfering with each other.The coordination deals “ensure the coexistence” of their broadband constellations, the companies told the Federal Communications Commission in a letter.Both constellations plan to use Ka-band spectrum to provide broadband services to user terminals. Amazon secured a spectrum license for its Project Kuiper network as part of the FCC’s 2020 NGSO processing round, while Telesat’s Lightspeed was processed as part of an earlier 2016 round.
Mobile satellite connectivity specialist Anuvu said Jan. 17 it has signed a deal to resell Starlink services as plans to use a rival constellation proposed by Telesat remain uncertain.<snip>Around the middle of this year, SpaceX is slated to launch the first two small GEO satellites for Anuvu’s dedicated constellation. Anuvu ordered the satellite from Astranis in 2021 four months after emerging from bankruptcy protection.The dedicated satellites are part of an expansion plan that in February 2022 saw Anuvu sign “the largest yet in a series of satellite capacity deals” with Telesat, a Canadian company with a fleet of GEO satellites.Their agreement covered capacity on GEO satellites using terminals designed to be forward-compatible with the Canadian operator’s proposed Lightspeed LEO constellation.Mike Pigott, Anuvu’s executive vice president for connectivity, described the agreement at the time as “setting the stage for LEO connectivity with Telesat Lightspeed.”However, Telesat’s LEO plans are beset by cost overruns and delays that have pushed any commercial service launch to at least 2026.Telesat said last year that it expected to finalize funding for the constellation of nearly 200 satellites around the end of 2022, enabling Europe’s Thales Alenia Space to kick-start full-scale production.Asked for an update, Telesat told SpaceNews Jan. 18 that the operator is “not issuing any new public statements at this time.”
