MDA Signs $80 million Contract for Radarsat from Canada

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that it has signed an amendment to the $80 Million (CAD) contract with the Canadian Space Agency to continue this Phase of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), which involves developing the detailed design of the RCM and all of its subsystems, and is the precursor to the Build Phase. MDA has been working on this contract under two previously announced Authorizations to Proceed, since March 17, 2010. Therefore, the new funding from this contract is $42 Million (CAD). RCM represents a major enhancement of Canada's RADARSAT program, following the successes of RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2. RCM will provide the Government of Canada with frequent surveillance and monitoring of Canada's coastal zones, northern territories, Arctic waterways, maritime areas of strategic interest, and defence interests around the world. This is critical, given the challenges posed by Canada's geographical size and its more than 240,000 kilometres of coastline. Unlike RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2, which are single satellites, RCM is a constellation of three satellites. This allows for more regular monitoring of the Canadian coast, thus greatly enhancing Canada's coastal surveillance. While the initial mission includes three satellites, the Constellation is designed so that it can grow to include additional satellites.