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Telesat taps former Canadian general to lead LEO satellite go-to-market strategy

September 19, 2024

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Ottawa-based satellite operator Telesat has hired a former high-ranking member of the Canadian military to spearhead the firm’s go-to-market strategy for its low-Earth-orbit satellite network that’s expected to start serving commercial customers in 2027. Telesat, which trades on the Nasdaq and Toronto Stock Exchange, said this week it has appointed recently retired Brig.-Gen. G. Michael Adamson as its new senior director of defence strategy and business development. The company says Adamson will “work to expand and execute” sales efforts for the constellation of nearly 200 LEO satellites, dubbed Lightspeed, that is aimed at delivering better broadband internet service to far-flung parts of the globe. Telesat says its business development strategy will focus on Canada, the United States and “other allied nations.” In a statement, Telesat senior vice-president of Canadian sales Michele Beck said Adamson’s “depth of operational experience and understanding of government mission connectivity needs will be invaluable to all levels of our organization – from product development and engineering to service deployment and customer support – and ensure that our solutions advance space domain operations and capabilities for government customers.” A former air navigator, Adamson held a variety of key posts in his three-decade military career, including a two-year stint as commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 14 Wing Greenwood from 2017-19, where he was responsible for overseeing the country’s largest East Coast air base in Greenwood, N.S. Most recently, Adamson was commander of the CAF’s 3 Canadian Space Division and its Joint Force Space Component, where he helped to operationalize the CAF’s space domain and determine space operations requirements. In a statement, the graduate of Carleton University and Royal Military College said he hopes to “build trusted partnerships with government and defence organizations to advance the adoption of strategic communication systems for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) modernization efforts to bolster defence for Canada and its allies.” Adamson’s hiring comes as Telesat ramps up the US$3.5-billion Lightspeed program, which will include 198 LEO satellites in a network the company says will “revolutionize broadband connectivity for enterprise and government users.” Last week, the federal government announced it is lending the company $2.14 billion to help it build the constellation. Quebec’s government, meanwhile, announced a loan of $400 million to the company, which has contracted aerospace technology firm MDA to build its satellites in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., in the Montreal area. – With files from the Canadian Press