MDA Announces Radarsat-2 Continuity Mission
February 2, 2021
MDA is excited to announce that the company has embarked on a major new initiative to build a commercial Earth observation satellite mission which will serve to extend MDA’s market-leading geospatial data, products and analytics services business well into the future.
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.
The new mission will carry forward many of the strong attributes of Canada’s RADARSAT program, while at the same time bringing innovative new technologies and operational concepts to deliver a significantly enhanced world-leading capability. This next generation system will change how and when our clients see 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.
MDA has extensive experience in successfully delivering near-real time imagery and analytics-derived information products and services and providing complex and demanding operational support to government and commercial customers worldwide.
SAR data is a powerful tool that:
· Enhances our understanding of climate change, ice patterns and natural disasters;
· Informs decisions to improve agriculture, forestry and natural resource management;
· Supports initiatives to protect our environment and our communities, such as mitigation of illegal fishing, oil spills, and coastal flood damage; and
· Performs critical role in global surveillance and national security.
More details about this RADARSAT-2 continuity mission will be released in the coming weeks and months.
“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. This announcement today 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.”
Mike Greenley, Chief Executive Officer, MDA
