OTTAWA – Telesat said Tuesday that orbit raising and payload testing on its Phase 1 LEO satellite have been completed and that the spacecraft is now ready to support live demonstrations of its capabilities.
Telesat’s LEO constellation, once fully deployed, will deliver transformative, low latency, fibre-like broadband for commercial and government users throughout the world. The initial constellation will consist of approximately 120 state-of-the-art satellites providing full global coverage, and Telesat is evaluating options to expand its system beyond this initial configuration, reads the news release.
Satellite industry leaders including Global Eagle Entertainment, OmniAccess and Optus Satellite have agreed to collaborate in live, over-the-air trials on Telesat Phase 1 LEO. Other companies that serve “major markets of interest to Telesat” will also be participating, adds the release.
“Telesat is pleased to have signed a number of highly respected, industry leaders who are eager to participate in live trials on Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite,” said Telesat’s Chief Technical Officer Dave Wendling, in the release. “We’re equally pleased to begin Phase 1 LEO testing and demonstrate the transformative capabilities that Telesat’s LEO constellation will deliver, including far higher data rates with superior latency at low cost. Not only will the broadband experience of Telesat’s LEO system be on par with advanced terrestrial networks but, for the first time ever, it will enable the availability of high performing broadband on a global basis.”
