Global satellite operator Telesat and Brampton, Ont.-based space technology company MDA Space announced Wednesday they have concluded a key phase in the Telesat Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation program, having successfully completed the spacecraft preliminary design review (PDR).
“The PDR is a critical checkpoint in the program,” a Telesat press release says. “Its successful completion demonstrates maturity in the design that meets the program’s functional and performance requirements. As part of the process, the PDRs for multiple key subsystems have also been successfully completed.”
MDA Space is the prime satellite contractor for Telesat’s Lightspeed LEO constellation, selected by Telesat in 2023. As currently designed, the constellation will comprise 198 satellites powered by MDA Aurora technology, the company’s new digital satellite product line, the press release says.
With the PDRs completed, Telesat and MDA Space are now moving on to the program’s detailed engineering and manufacturing phase, including the critical design review, according to the release.
“Our teams have worked hard to reach this important milestone, which validated the capability of the satellite design to meet the Telesat Lightspeed performance requirements,” Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s president and CEO, said in the release. “We are excited to move forward with the next phase, confident in the advanced capabilities of the satellites.”
“The Telesat and MDA Space program teams have been working closely together to advance the Telesat Lightspeed vision and to reach this important program milestone,” Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space, said in a statement. “With construction of our new high-volume satellite manufacturing facility in Montreal underway, we are focused on continuing to advance the next phase of the program.”
MDA Space earlier this year began construction on a new facility to double the capacity of its high-volume satellite manufacturing facility in Quebec, where the Telesat Lightspeed satellites will be built.
Telesat says it plans to begin launching satellites for the Lightspeed LEO constellation in 2026.
