Estimated Revenue of 1.2 Trillion Won... SpaceX to Launch Competitors' Satellites

Contract for 14 Falcon 9 Rocket Launches Starting 2026
Approx. 89 Billion KRW per Launch...Estimated Total Revenue 1 Trillion KRW
Intense Competition in Satellite Internet Business with Telesat Joining

Elon Musk's space company SpaceX is set to launch satellites for its satellite internet business competitor Telesat.

14 launches starting from 2026... "Estimated revenue about 1.2 trillion KRW"

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch scene. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 11th (local time), according to US economic media CNBC and others, Canadian satellite communications company Telesat announced that it has signed a rocket launch contract with SpaceX to send its internet service satellite 'Lightspeed' into low Earth orbit.

Accordingly, SpaceX will launch its Falcon 9 rocket 14 times starting in 2026 to send Telesat's satellites into orbit, with up to 18 Lightspeed satellites launched per rocket flight.

The detailed terms of the contract between the two companies have not been disclosed. However, considering that the basic launch cost of Falcon 9 is $67 million (about 89.1 billion KRW) per launch, it is estimated that SpaceX's revenue from this contract will exceed $900 million (about 1.1957 trillion KRW).

Initially, Telesat planned to use the 'New Glenn' rocket from Blue Origin, the space company led by Jeff Bezos. However, due to delays in the development of this rocket, the media reported that Telesat newly signed the contract with SpaceX this time.

Dan Goldberg, CEO of Telesat, said, "Considering the expertise of the SpaceX team and their proven reliable launch record, I am confident they will be an excellent partner to deliver Telesat's Lightspeed service on time."

Once the Lightspeed satellites are properly deployed in orbit, Telesat plans to start global internet service from 2027. Telesat emphasized, "We will provide very secure, resilient, and low-latency broadband connectivity anywhere in the world."

Meanwhile, low Earth orbit satellites are tens of times closer to Earth than traditional satellites, reducing data transmission time and providing faster broadband services.

SpaceX's Starlink is currently providing this service, and Blue Origin is also pursuing this business under the name 'Project Kuiper.'