MDA announces RADARSAT-2 continuity mission

Earth Observation (CNW Group/MDA Inc.)

BRAMPTON, Ont. — MDA announced that the company has embarked on a major new initiative to build a commercial Earth observation satellite mission.

The satellite mission will be based upon its leading space-based C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, and will provide operational continuity for its existing RADARSAT-2 customers, including commercial, government and institutional clients.

“MDA delivers world-class operational geospatial intelligence systems and services that empower government and commercial customers around the globe to make critical decisions in support of their missions,” said Mike Greenley, Chief Executive Officer, MDA, in a prepared statement. “This announcement represents a significant investment in our company’s future, and will introduce a new and reliable source of next generation Earth observation data, imagery and analytics to the world.”

As part of this program, MDA will leverage our industry-leading multi-mission Earth observation ground stations as well as advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, including machine learning and deep learning, to manage large volumes of data across multiple sensor platforms and enhance our data analytics capabilities.

MDA’s RADARSAT-2, a public-private partnership with the Government of Canada, was launched in 2007 and continues today to offer reliable, near-real-time access to all-weather imagery and surveillance information for a wide range of mission-critical civil, commercial and defence applications, producing over 75,000 images per year. Providing coverage from 144 km2 to 265,000 km2 in a single scene using 20 imaging modes looking both right and left, RADARSAT-2 provides the greatest flexibility and commercial capacity of any SAR mission.

More details about this RADARSAT-2 continuity mission will be released in the coming weeks and months.