Telesat signs LEO contract with DARPA

ARLINGTON, Va. — Telesat U.S. Services, a subsidiary of Ottawa-based satellite operator Telesat, announced today it has been awarded a contract by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for the development and in-orbit demonstration of commercial low-Earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft buses in a LEO constellation network as part of DARPA’s Blackjack program. Telesat was initially contracted in 2018 to undertake system engineering and interface definition under Phase 1 of the Blackjack program. With the awarding of this new contract, Telesat U.S. Services will develop and demonstrate the Blackjack Phase 2/3 Track B technology, including in-orbit testing of the capabilities of Optical...