Satnews Daily
November 17th, 2008

Canadian Constellation Contract Commissioned To MDA


RADARSAT-1 satellite MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) has been awarded a 16-month contract by the Canadian Space Agency that's valued at $40 million to begin the design of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM).

The RADARSAT Constellation is the evolution of the RADARSAT Program and will ensure the continued use by government scientific and commercial clients of data produced by Canada's advanced C-band radar instrument. As part of the mission, the three-satellite configuration will provide complete daily coverage of Canada's land and oceans as well as significant coverage of international areas for Canadian and international users. Like RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2, the Constellation will be designed to function day and night in all weather conditions. It will fully support the priorities of the government and enhance Canada's ability to ensure its sovereignty and security through space-borne maritime surveillance, including the Northwest Passage. The photo is of RADARSAT-1, which can collect imagery of the Earth, day or night, as well as through clouds using its microwave Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system.