Canada awards Telesat and MDA ESCP‑P contract to develop multi‑frequency Arctic milsatcom

The Defence Investment Agency has awarded Telesat and MDA Space a contract under the Enhanced Satellite Communications Project – Polar (ESCP‑P) to develop a multi‑frequency military satellite communications capability for Canada's Arctic. The partners will study options for a multibillion‑dollar network to support Canadian Armed Forces operations at high latitudes.

Discovered 2025-12-09T09:05:26.496360-08:00 | 2025-12-09T09:05:26.496360-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Ottawa has contracted Telesat and MDA under the Defence Investment Agency's ESCP‑P to design a multi‑frequency Arctic milsatcom capability, explicitly exploring options for a multibillion‑dollar network to support Canadian Armed Forces operations in polar regions.
  • The award follows recent industry efforts to preserve and enhance Arctic connectivity — including interim routing of legacy GX traffic via HEO payloads and successful tests of Arctic steerable‑beam payloads — underscoring persistent coverage gaps and operational demand (see Viasat's HEO routing and Arctic payload tests).
  • The choice of Telesat and MDA leverages domestic commercial and manufacturing capability and aligns with broader Canadian moves to expand national space infrastructure and defence spending, complementing ground‑station and sovereign space initiatives.

Reported By

obj.ca vanguardcanada.com Runway Girl Bloomberg telesat.com helicoptersmagazine.com
Sources Tracked
17
First Seen
2025-12-09T09:05:26.496360-08:00
Latest Update
2025-12-15T13:41:39.185982-08:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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