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Podcast: Telesat CCO Katz gives Lightspeed update
Listen to how the $1.6B LEO constellation deal developed
Satellite operator Telesat on Monday announced it signed a 14-launch deal with SpaceX for its Lightspeed constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, which the company expects to go into service in 2027.
The launch agreement comes one month after Ottawa, Ontario-based Telesat (NASDAQ: TSAT / TSX: TSAT) announced fellow Canadian company MDA (TSX: MDA) as the manufacturer of its 198-satellite constellation in a deal valued at $1.6 billion.
“The contract with MDA represents a significant milestone for us,” Telesat Chief Commercial Officer Glenn Katz tells Connectivity Business News in the latest episode of “The Dish” podcast. “About six years ago, we saw a change in market dynamics — some would call it an inflection point,” when demand for LEO constellations began to surge, he says.
Telesat began planning for Lightspeed constellation at that time but faced setbacks in trying to secure sufficient funding to advance development. Thales Alenia Space, the manufacturer initially tapped by Telesat in 2018 to build the satellites, was stymied by significant supply chain holdups related to the pandemic, Katz tells CBN.
Amid production delays, Telesat started over, recalibrating the design of Lightspeed to accommodate new, digital satellite technology, which resulted in a more modernized design and lower production costs.
“It’s not that we planned it this way at all, but the circumstances forced us into a situation where we had to take a look and see what we could do,” Katz tells CBN. “And the engineering team of both Telesat and MDA did a phenomenal job to be able to get us to reach this point where we were able to make the announcement and have all the funding in place.”
Listen as Katz provides an updated timeline for Lightspeed and discusses how the high-tech constellation is expected to be a game-changer for Telesat’s global business, particularly in the commercial enterprise sector.
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