Satellite operator Telesat and SpaceX have signed a multi-launch agreement to deliver the Telesat Lightspeed constellation to low-Earth Orbit (LEO).
In total, Telesat says it has contracted 14 launches on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 reusable orbital rocket from SpaceX’s facilities in Florida and California. The launches are scheduled to commence in 2026 and each launch, the rocket will be carrying up to 18 Telesat Lightspeed satellites.
“With growing demand for high-speed internet around the world, SpaceX is proud to launch and deploy Telesat’s Lightspeed constellation,” said SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell.
“Building upon our successful launch partnership to-date, we look forward to flying Telesat once again as they expand connectivity capabilities for their customers across the globe.”
According to Telesat, its optically-linked Lightspeed network will provide multi-Gbps data links and highly secure, resilient, low-latency broadband connectivity anywhere in the world.
“SpaceX has been a trusted and effective launch provider to Telesat on our geostationary satellite programs and I am delighted that they will be supporting us with their highly reliable Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the Telesat Lightspeed constellation, the most ambitious programme in Telesat’s 54-year history,” stated Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s President and CEO.
“Given the dedication and professionalism of the SpaceX team, and their outstanding track record of reliability and demonstrated high launch cadence, I have the utmost confidence that they will be an outstanding partner in helping us bring Telesat Lightspeed into service in a timely and low risk manner.”
