Telesat, one of the world’s largest and most innovative satellite operators, announced an expanded relationship with Farcast, a San Francisco-based startup that is building advanced satellite User Terminals. Under the new agreement, Farcast will deliver an enterprise-class Flat Panel Antenna (FPA) User Terminal that is fully integrated with the Telesat Lightspeed modem and ready for volume production. Additionally, Telesat is making a US$5 million equity investment in Farcast and will take a seat on Farcast’s board of directors to support the company’s alignment with the goals of the Telesat Lightspeed program.
Farcast has developed a unique technology that can simultaneously transmit and receive data from the same aperture in an FPA. This proprietary Active Electronically Scanned Antenna (AESA) technology uses electronic beam scanning to compensate for the movement of satellites and users, and the single-aperture, full-duplex FPA results in reduced Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C). This competitive SWaP-C will further enhance the value proposition for Telesat Lightspeed customers, delivering superior enterprise-class performance worldwide.
Telesat and Farcast have worked together since 2022 on a pre-production development program to ensure Farcast’s technology reaches the maturity level required to operate on the Telesat Lightspeed network. As a prerequisite for this new agreement and equity investment with Telesat LEO ULC, various iterations of the hardware have been built and successfully tested. The availability of terminals that are fully integrated with Telesat Lightspeed modem is planned for 2027.
“Throughout prototype development, we’ve seen firsthand Farcast’s innovative approach to extending satellite communications capability and reach through small form factor FPAs that deliver outstanding performance,” said Michel Forest, Chief Technology Officer for Telesat. “We see value not only in what Farcast can provide for Telesat’s telecom and enterprise customers, but also the wider satellite industry for mass-produced, high-performing terminals, including aviation and defence applications.”
“Our collaboration with Telesat has been a cornerstone of our journey to date. By working hand in hand, we are developing FPA technology that will meet the stringent performance and reliability requirements to ensure mission-critical connectivity for Telesat’s customers,” said Siamak Ebadi, founder and CEO of Farcast. “We believe partnerships like this are vital to creating an open, collaborative satellite ecosystem—one that drives innovation and expands access.”
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