Telesat Lightspeed PDR puts constellation in line with other LEOs
Updated: Jan 9
12/6/2024 - Written By Caleb Henry
Telesat Lightspeed experienced a cascading series of delays over the past seven years, mainly related to financing, but the project’s recent preliminary design review shows Telesat’s timeline is no longer slipping hard to the right.
Telesat Lightspeed’s successful Preliminary Design Review (PDR) took 1.3 years, consistent with other LEO and MEO constellations built by third-party manufacturers. Canada’s MDA Space announced the PDR on Dec. 4, marking the completion of a key engineering milestone that typically precedes manufacturing.
Past delays ironically may have helped keep PDR within a normal timeframe, since Telesat kept maturing key technologies like crosslinks and antennas with suppliers before the full 198-satellite contract was signed.
A smooth PDR process does not guarantee that a constellation program will proceed without additional delays. Hiccups often emerge during the metal bending phase of development, but for a program whose tempo hasn’t quite lived up to its name, investors will be happy to see Lightspeed progressing at pace.
