OTTAWA – The two teams contracted by Telesat to develop system designs for its global low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation have successfully completed the system definition and risk management phase of the program, the global satellite operator said.
Airbus Defence and Space and a consortium of Thales Alenia Space and Maxar Technologies, the owner of SSL and MDA, have significantly advanced their detailed designs for the complete LEO system, Telesat added. During this latest phase of the program, both contractor teams performed system optimization, requirements development, engineering trade-offs and technology prototyping to establish mature and compelling designs for its LEO’s space, ground and user terminal segments.
“The goal of Telesat’s LEO program is to transform global communications by delivering a truly disruptive service, with fast broadband speeds and low latency, at the highest QoS ever provided over satellite. Based on the innovative system architectures developed by our two contractor teams, we’re increasingly confident our ambitious goal will be achieved,” said Telesat LEO VP Erwin Hudson, in the news release. “These two outstanding teams, together with Telesat, have evaluated current and next-generation hardware, software, networking and system operations technologies from both established and emerging suppliers and have identified those that provide the greatest benefits for our customers. Telesat continues to collaborate with both teams and we look forward to selecting a prime contractor for the Telesat LEO program later this year.”
