Mission Microwave Technologies, LLC has been awarded a major contract to design and deliver solid-state power block upconverters (BUCs) for the Telesat Lightspeed Landing Station network. The deal establishes Mission Microwave as a primary supplier of terrestrial infrastructure for Telesat’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation, which is currently scaling for a global rollout.
Technical Specifications and Efficiency
Under the agreement, Mission Microwave will provide its compact 100-watt BUCs featuring Gallium Nitride (GaN) amplifier modules. These units are paired with wideband 27.5–30GHz high-quality upconverters specifically designed to meet the high-throughput requirements of the Lightspeed network.
The Landing Stations serve as critical terrestrial “gateways,” connecting satellite user traffic to fiber-optic points-of-presence for telecom networks, cloud services, and internet providers. By utilizing GaN technology, Mission Microwave has focused on reducing the Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) of the equipment, allowing for more efficient installation and lower operational energy costs at gateway sites worldwide.
Executive Insight
Francis Auricchio, President and CEO of Mission Microwave, noted that his team worked closely with Telesat’s engineers to optimize the base station design. “We worked diligently… to offer a solution that countered initial assumptions and improved the overall efficiency of the base stations,” Auricchio stated.
Aneesh Dalvi, Telesat’s Vice President of Lightspeed Systems Development, highlighted the importance of the BUCs in the overall system architecture: “The BUCs are a core component of our Landing Station infrastructure… Telesat will benefit from significant improvements in energy efficiency and lower SWaP”.
Strategic Context and Timeline
The contract award comes as Telesat prepares for its first Lightspeed Pathfinder launches in late 2026, with the full constellation ramp-up scheduled through 2027. Telesat has already secured significant terrestrial partnerships, including a multi-year deal with Vocus in Australia to host the network’s first Southern Hemisphere Landing Station.
The integration of Mission Microwave’s high-power Ka-band assets aligns with Telesat’s shift toward high-capacity LEO broadband as its legacy GEO revenues decline. The Lightspeed network is designed to deliver up to 10 Tb/s of total capacity once fully deployed.
