Two satellite companies registered to lobby days after the federal government announced it would award a $2.3 billion satellite communication contract to Telesat.

The contract in question involves launching a constellation of satellites to improve connectivity for military operations and ensure “secure, resilient and reliable military communications in the Arctic and other high-latitude regions.”

The $2.3 billion contract was awarded to Telesat after a "rigorous" multi-step selection process as a "result of the Government of Canada's strategic partnership with Telesat and MDA Space announced in December 2025," said Le Nguyen, a spokesperson for the Defence Investment Agency (DIA).

In the days since the contract was announced on Aug. 4, Ontario-based companies SFL Missions and Kongsberg Geospatial have both registered to lobby the Prime Minister’s Office, the Department of National Defence, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

SFL Missions’ registration said it wanted to discuss “commercialization of SFL Missions' leading edge small satellite technology.”

Kongsberg Geospatial, a Canadian subsidiary of a Norwegian defence company, said in a filing it wanted to provide products and services to the federal government “in the areas of aerospace, defence, maritime and public safety.”

Asked about the timing of the lobbying registration, Kongsberg Geospatial spokesperson Kenza Loulidi said the filing was “simply a renewal of our ongoing work and we have no connection or opinion on the specific contract.”

While Nguyen with the DIA declined to comment in detail on procurement processes, "neither SFL Missions nor Kongsberg Geospatial registered to participate in the request for information processes," they said.

Telesat will receive $2.7 billion over 15 years to launch dozens of satellites to enable reliable military communication in the Arctic. That total includes the $2.3 billion for the contract plus two five-year option periods during which the government will pay about $400 million to reserve the right to cancel the contract.

MDA Space, a Telesat partner, will receive an additional $474 million from Telesat to manufacture 27 more satellites for the new Arctic constellation.

Cheryl Forrest, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence, said there are opportunities for other satellite companies to get contracts under the program.

"While Telesat and MDA Space are strategic partners on the [project], the project is expected to involve a wider Canadian industrial supply chain, including small and medium-sized enterprises, through subcontracting, technology development, manufacturing, integration and support services," she said.

But Conservative MPs are crying foul over the award and seeking transparency over how the decision was made.

Telesat CEO Daniel Goldberg is a longtime friend of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s. And while the Conservative Party said in a statement that Carney’s relationship with Goldberg is not itself “evidence of wrongdoing,” the contract could be a “case of the Liberal club getting rich at the public’s expense.”

The Conservative statement said Telesat has a history of receiving high-value loans from the government, such as a 2024 deal to increase rural broadband access with its lightspeed satellites — the same type that will be deployed in the Arctic under the new contract — with no results to show for it yet.

Originally, the first of those satellites were expected to launch earlier this year, but the date has been pushed to late 2026.

The Conservatives also pointed out ongoing litigation between Telesat and bondholders, concluding that “these facts raise serious questions about the ability to deliver.”

Goldberg, for his part, has refuted any claims of preferential treatment, and has told media that Carney was not directly involved in the decision.

According to disclosure documents published by the Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Carney is not required to be screened from making decisions about Telesat.

The Privy Council Office said the contracting process was led by the Defence Investment Agency, but did not respond to the IJF's questions about what role, if any, Carney played in the contract decision.

A non-space subsidiary of MDA Space called 49North also registered to lobby three days after the announcement. It wanted to discuss terrestrial defence technologies like “advanced sensing and radar technologies, autonomous systems, secure digital mission systems, defence-qualified electronics and long-term in-service support.”

Asked about the registration, an MDA Space spokesperson declined to comment further on the specific goals of its lobbying.

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