 | |
.jpg) | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq: TSAT Russell 2000 Component | |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Predecessors | Telesat Canada, Loral Skynet, AT&T Skynet |
| Founded | May 2, 1969; 55 years ago (1969-05-02) |
| Headquarters | Ottawa,Ontario, Canada |
Key people | Daniel S. Goldberg (CEO) |
| Products | Satellite communications and integration services |
| Parent | Loral Space (majority share) |
| Website | telesat |
Telesat, formerlyTelesat Canada, is a Canadiansatellite communicationscompany founded on May 2, 1969. The company isheadquartered inOttawa.
Telesat began in 1969 as Telesat Canada, a CanadianCrown corporation created by an Act of Parliament.[1] Telesat Canada launchedAnik A1 in 1972 as the world's first domestic communications satellite ingeostationary orbit operated by a commercial company;[2] this satellite was retired from use in 1981.[citation needed] Until February 1979, Telesat had a legal monopoly onEarth stations in Canada: any entity wishing to send or receive satellite signals had to sign a long-term lease with Telesat Canada for anEarth station.[citation needed] Contracts for such leases were still enforced after the monopoly was ended.[citation needed]
Telesat Canada was privatized and sold by the federal government toBell Canada in 1998.[3]
On December 18, 2006,Loral Space & Communications announced that it, along with Canada'sPublic Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), would acquire Telesat for US$2.8 billion.[4] On October 5, 2007, they received the final regulatory approval necessary to complete the acquisition of Telesat fromBCE Inc. (the new holding company for Bell) for CAD$3.25 billion. The acquisition closed on October 31, 2007, with Loral owning 63% of Telesat.[5]
At the same time, Telesat merged with Loral Skynet (formerly AT&T Skynet), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications. Loral Skynet was a full-service global satellite operator headquartered inBedminster, New Jersey. This resulted in the transfer of all of the assets of Loral Skynet to Telesat.
Telesat announced on December 30, 2009, thatNimiq 6 was built bySpace Systems/Loral (SS/L).Bell Satellite TV, a Canadian satellite TV provider agreed to fully lease the satellite for its lifetime to serve their subscribers across Canada. Nimiq 6 has a payload of 32 high-poweredKu-band transponders. It uses the SS/L1300 platform and has a 15-year mission life. It was launched in 2012 byInternational Launch Services (ILS).[6]
On November 17, 2010: Telesat Holdings Inc. hiredJPMorgan Chase & Co.,Morgan Stanley andCredit Suisse Group AG to start a formal sales process and offer so-calledstaple financing to interest buyers for $6 billion to $7 billion.[7]
MHI Launch Services (formerly H-IIA Launch Services)[8]) launched Telstar 12 VANTAGE for Telesat in November 2015 on a H2A204 variant of theH-IIA rocket,[9] and it commenced service in December 2015.[10]
In 2016 Telesat announced it would launch alow-Earth-orbit (LEO)constellation of 120 satellites, inpolar orbit and ininclined orbits, about 1,000 km (620 mi) in altitude. The satellites would use theKa-band, across 6orbital planes, having at least 12 satellites in each plane. The siting of the orbital planes is to comply with the Canadian government'sEnhanced Satellite Constellation Project, as well as providing global coverage.[11][12] The constellation is officially namedTelesat Lightspeed.[13]
In 2017, Telesat expanded the LEO constellation plan to about 300 satellites, coupled with 50 ground stations across the globe. There would be about 80 polar orbit satellites, with the remainder in inclined orbits, for global coverage, including polar regions. The internet satellite constellation is targeted to have a 30-50 ms latency. The satellites are expected to be around 800 kg (1,800 lb) and last 10 years on orbit. The constellation is expected to have a 16-24Tb/s capacity with 8 Tbit/s (1 TB/s) available for customers.[14]
In 2018, the Phase 1 pathfinder test satellite for the LEO constellation was launched. Various customers and satellite transceiver equipment manufacturers started testing with the satellite.[15][16][17]
In 2019, Telesat contracted withBlue Origin on theirNew Glenn rocket andRelativity Space with theirTerran 1 rocket, for satellite launches to their LEO constellation.[14]
In 2020, Telesat filed plans for expanding the satellite count to its LEO constellation to over 1,600 satellites.[12][18] In November 2020, Telesat announced that it will become publicly traded on the American stock indexNASDAQ in mid-2021.[19]
In July 2023, LEO 3 satellite was launched.[20] In Aug. 2023, Telesat switched suppliers for its planned Lightspeed global internet network, from Thales Alenia Space to MDA.[21] In 2025, Telesat continued to develop its Telesat Lightspeed program.[22] In September 2023, Telesat announced a new contract withSpaceX for 14 launches with up to 18 satellites on each launch for the Lightspeed constellation, starting in mid-2026.[23]Viasat signed a "substantial" contract to use the service in April 2025, shortly after smaller customer agreements were announced withSpace Norway, Orange, and ADN Telecom.[24]
The company is the fourth-largest fixed satellite services provider in the world.[25][26] It owns a fleet of satellites, with others under construction, and operates additional satellites for other entities.
Telesat carries Canada's two majorDBS providers signals:Bell Satellite TV andShaw Direct, as well as more than 200 ofCanada's television channels.
Telesat's Anik F2 carries aKa-bandspot beam payload for satellite Internet access forWildblue users in theUnited States andXplornet users in Canada.[27][28] The KA band system uses spot beams to manage bandwidth concerns, linking to multiple satellite ground stations connected to the Internet.
| City | Country | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa,Ontario | Canada | Worldwide[29] |
| Allan Park, Ontario | Canada | Canada |
| Calgary,Alberta | Canada | Canada |
| Montreal,Quebec | Canada | Canada |
| Toronto, Ontario | Canada | Canada |
| Winnipeg,Manitoba | Canada | Canada |
| Vancouver,British Columbia | Canada | Canada |
| North Bethesda, Maryland | United States | United States (Sale Representative) |
| Arlington, Virginia | United States | United States Government Services |
| Bedminster, New Jersey | United States | United States |
| Mount Jackson, Virginia | United States | North America |
| London,England | United Kingdom | Europe,Middle East andAfrica |
| Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Latin America |
| Singapore | Singapore | Asia |
| Main articles | |
|---|---|
| Hardware | |
| Satellite radio /TV | |
| Broadcast companies | |
| Relay satellite companies | |
| Satellite manufacturers | |
| Trade organizations | |
| Lists | |
