Telestat, SpaceX announce agreement to launch satellites

Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Satellite operator Telestat announced on Monday that it has signed a deal with SpaceX to carry 18 of its Lightspeed satellites into low Earth orbit starting in 2026.

Telestat's satellite constellation, which will provide secured multi-Gbps data link connectivity for enterprise and government users, will be deployed by SpaceX over the course of 14 launches, a statement from the satellite company said.

"SpaceX has been a trusted and effective launch provider to Telesat on our geostationary satellite programs and I am delighted that they will be supporting us with their highly reliable Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the Telesat Lightspeed constellation, the most ambitious program in Telesat's 54-year history," Telestat President and CEO Dan Goldberg said in a statement.

The SpaceX-Telestat launch will happen at both of SpaceX's facilities in California and Florida. Telestat said it should be able to start providing its global Internet service in 2027.

"With growing demand for high-speed Internet around the world, SpaceX is proud to launch and deploy Telesat's Lightspeed constellation," said SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell.

"Building upon our successful launch partnership to date, we look forward to flying Telesat once again as they expand-connectivity capabilities for their customers across the globe."

Last week SpaceX set a record of 62 orbital missions in one calendar year when it launched its Falcon 9 rocket into space with 21 Starlink satellites.