An independent technical study, led by members of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has concluded that the design of Telesat’s global LEO constellation is far more efficient compared to those of OneWeb and SpaceX.
The study (link is external), which was presented last month at a major European space conference (link is external), evaluated the technical aspects of the three global LEO systems as described in their FCC application filings. Among the features of Telesat’s system that supported the study’s conclusions are Telesat’s high capacity satellite design, use of inter-satellite links (ISLs) and digital processors. In terms of average Gbps per satellite, the study found that Telesat’s system provides four times more capacity than the SpaceX constellation and 10 times more than OneWeb.
“Telesat has received significant industry feedback supporting the superiority of our LEO system design and this study, led by members of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, further confirms the advantages of our approach,” said Erwin Hudson, Vice President, Telesat LEO. “We’re pleased with the study’s findings and excited that our procurement process working with two leading satellite industry teams – Airbus and the consortium of Thales Alenia Space and Maxar Technologies – will lead to even greater improvements in Telesat’s LEO system. We look forward to sharing these advances with our customers and the industry more broadly in the coming months.”
About Telesat (www.telesat.com)
Telesat is a leading global satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices and facilities around the world, the company’s state-of-the-art fleet consists of 17 GEO satellites, the Canadian payload on ViaSat-1 and one Phase 1 LEO satellite which is the start of Telesat’s planned global LEO satellite constellation that will offer low latency, high throughput broadband services. Telesat is also a leading technical consultant providing high value expertise and support to satellite operators, insurers and other industry participants on a global basis. Privately held, Telesat’s principal shareholders are Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LORL).
