EchoStar Corporation has chosen MDA Space Ltd. as the main contractor for its new low Earth orbit (LEO) direct-to-device satellite constellation. The contract, valued at about $1.3 billion, covers the design, manufacturing, and testing of more than 100 software-defined satellites from MDA’s AURORA D2D line. EchoStar plans to eventually expand the system to 200 satellites, with potential growth to thousands if demand increases.
The company’s LEO constellation aims to provide global talk, text, and broadband services directly to standard 5G handheld devices. Coverage will include all 350 million Americans—including those in Alaska and Hawaii—and over seven billion people worldwide.
Hamid Akhavan, president and CEO of EchoStar, said: “EchoStar’s Hughes communications division has over 60 years of leadership in the satellite and space technology business. Our satellite expertise combined with our U.S.-based terrestrial 5G Open RAN network uniquely positions EchoStar to execute on this new large-scale wideband LEO constellation. The market-leading technical innovation provided by MDA Space along with our global S-band/2GHz spectrum rights with the highest ITU priority, and our strong service delivery capabilities will enable us to serve the consumer, enterprise, public safety and government sectors in the U.S., Europe and beyond. Critically, this will foster U.S. leadership in the growing space economy.”
Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space, added: “EchoStar’s selection of our new MDA AURORA D2D software-defined satellites to meet its demanding technical and business requirements is a testament to the confidence satellite operators have in our deep expertise and products, our differentiated MDA AURORA product, and our expanding production capacity. This contract also demonstrates our continued market momentum as we strategically position MDA Space to be the prime contractor of choice for satellite operators in the direct-to-device and broadband connectivity.”
Since 2012, EchoStar has invested more than $13 billion into acquiring companies holding key FCC licenses for use of the 2GHz band—such as DBSD and TerreStar—as well as purchasing three S-band GEO satellites (including retrofitting one). The company has led efforts to standardize this band for use with emerging wireless technologies like 5G through work at international standards bodies such as 3GPP.
EchoStar currently holds exclusive licenses for using parts of the 2GHz band across several regions including AWS-4 spectrum in the United States; it also controls similar frequencies in Europe (30 MHz), Canada (40 MHz), Mexico (20 MHz), and Brazil (30 MHz). Texting services using these bands have already started rolling out in Europe; North America is expected to see similar offerings by mid-2026.
The new satellites will be built at MDA Space’s facility using up to 25×20 MHz of AWS-4/S-band frequencies compliant with NTN and current wireless standards so that compatible devices can access messaging, voice calls, broadband data or video without hardware changes. These satellites are scheduled for delivery by 2028 with commercial operations beginning in 2029.
The total estimated cost for building out EchoStar’s LEO constellation is $5 billion—bringing its total investment into non-terrestrial network satellite connectivity since 2012 above $18 billion.
For more information about EchoStar Corporation’s operations under brands such as Boost Mobile or DISH TV globally visit www.echostar.com.
