Image: Lockheed Martin.
By Defence Industry Europe,
Published by defence-industry.eu, 7 August 2025
Telesat Corp., Canada’s largest satellite operator, has expressed interest in contributing to the United States’ proposed Golden Dome missile defence system. The company’s chief executive, Dan Goldberg, said its Lightspeed satellite network “could make valuable contributions” to the initiative.
Lightspeed, a low-earth orbit (LEO) constellation under development by the Ottawa-based firm, is expected to cost around $4.6 billion. “We’re certainly making sure that decision-makers are aware of the capabilities of Lightspeed,” Goldberg added during a call with analysts on Wednesday.
The Golden Dome project, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome, is valued at $175 billion and remains in early stages of definition. Goldberg noted there is “uncertainty about whether Canada might participate,” emphasising the evolving nature of the plan.
He highlighted that space-based systems like Lightspeed could support the U.S. missile shield by enhancing connectivity and resilience. “It looks like it will be a network of networks, and that space-based architectures at various orbits will form an important part of Golden Dome,” Goldberg said.
The LEO sector is currently dominated by Elon Musk’s Starlink, with additional networks being developed by France’s Eutelsat Communications SA and Amazon’s Kuiper project. Goldberg stressed, “LEO’s hard, and there aren’t that many of them… they need to be multiple networks to ensure resiliency.”
Tensions over trade between Canada and the U.S. may complicate collaboration on the project. President Trump initially said Canada should contribute $61 billion to join Golden Dome, later raising the amount to $71 billion.
Despite these challenges, the two countries maintain close defence ties through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). In June, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney committed to accelerating defence spending.
Source: Bloomberg.
See: Original Article
