Feds award Macdonald Dettwiler $54M to develop next-generation satellites
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Five other Canadian aerospace and tech companies to benefit from funding
The project aims to develop better radar, speed up satellite-based data transmission and improve cloud-based data processing. PHOTO: Polina Shuvaeva/Thinkstock
SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE, Que.—The federal government is looking to help Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. get the next generation of Canadian-made satellites off the ground.
Announcing the investment May 5 in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., Navdeep Bains, Canada’s minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, said the government will direct $54 million to Macdonald Dettwiler subsidiary MDA Systems Ltd., as well as several partners, for work on a range of new satellite technologies.
“Companies are struggling to reduce the time it takes to bring great ideas to market, and testing innovations is essential to making that transition,” Bains said.
The work ultimately aims to develop better radar, speed up satellite-based data transmission and improve cloud-based data processing.
Using the funds made available through the government’s Technology Demonstration Program, MDA will collaborate with COM DEV International, Magellan Aerospace, Alberta IT firm Whipcord, satellite tracking company exactEarth, as well as Vancouver-based software firm UrtheCast, on the project.
Researchers at several universities, including Simon Fraser, will also be involved.
