MDA (company)

Canadian space technology company

MDA Space Ltd.

Company type| Public

Traded as

| TSX: MDA
Industry| Aerospace
Predecessor| Maxar Technologies; MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates; Spar Aerospace
Founded| 1969; 56 years ago (1969) in Vancouver, Canada
Founders|

* John S. MacDonald
* Vern Dettwiler

Headquarters|

Brampton, Ontario

Canada

Key people

* Mike Greenley, CEO
* Guillaume Lavoie, CFO
* Cameron Ower, CTO
* Stephanie McDonald, Chief People, Culture and Transformation Officer
* Dr. Minda Suchan, VP, Geointelligence
* Holly Johnson, VP, Robotics and Space Operations
* Luigi Pozzebon, VP, Satellite Systems

Products| Geointelligence, robotics, space operations, and satellite systems

Number of employees

| 3000 (2024)
Parent| Northern Private Capital
Maxar Technologies
Website| mda.space

MDA Space Ltd. is a Canadian space technology company headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, that provides geointelligence, robotics and space operations, and satellite systems.[1]

## History

[edit]

MDA Space (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) was founded in 1969 by John S. MacDonald and Vern Dettwiler in the basement of MacDonald's Vancouver home.[2] The company became a subsidiary of Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) from the United States on 17 November 1995.[3]

MDA was primary contractor for, and took ownership of, the RADARSAT-2 Earth observation satellite.[4]

MDA bought the space robotics division of Spar Aerospace—manufacturer of the Canadarm—in March 1999, renaming it MD Robotics. The company completed the Mobile Servicing System (including the Canadarm2) for the International Space Station.[5] OSC sold its entire stake in 2001.[6] Nearly 70% was sold to a group of Canadian investors; the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP)[7] became the largest shareholder with a 29% stake.[8]

In the 2000s, MDA experienced difficulties winning government contracts in the United States due to its foreign ownership. In 2008, an attempt to sell the space division to Alliant Techsystems was blocked by the Canadian government on national security grounds. The subsequent lack of Canadian business led to layoffs. The real estate information business was sold in early 2011. MDA bought Space Systems/Loral from Loral Space & Communications in 2012.,[9] leading to OTPP reducing its stake to less than 10%.[8]

MDA bought DigitalGlobe in 2017, and rebranded as Maxar Technologies.;[10] the company moved its headquarters to Colorado, United States.[11]

On 8 April 2020, Toronto-based investment firm Northern Private Capital bought the MDA assets from Maxar[12] for CA$1 billion (US$765 million).[13][14][15] and named the new company MDA; the company is headquartered in Canada.[12]

On 9 December 2020, The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded MDA a contract to develop and construct the Canadarm3 as part of Canada's contribution to the NASA-led Lunar Gateway Program. The contract is for the first phase of the program and is worth C$22.8 million, with options for follow-on phases.[16] The contract was further confirmed on December 16, 2020, when NASA and the CSA announced the finalised agreement to collaborate on the Gateway, which included the Canadarm3, the installation of two scientific instruments and commitment to provide two crew positions for Canadian astronauts.[17]

On 7 April 2021, MDA became a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol MDA.[18]

On 16 August 2023, Telesat Canada announced it had chosen MDA to build 198 small satellites for the Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) program. The project will take advantage of MDA’s digital beamforming array antennas and integrated regenerative processor. The Lightspeed satellite is slightly smaller than those previously being considered. Antenna design and manufacturing will be in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.[19][20]

On March 7, 2024, MDA announced it had rebranded to MDA Space.[21]

## Facilities

[edit]

### Canada

[edit]

* Brampton, ON (HQ)
* Kanata, ON
* Ottawa, ON
* Montreal, QC
* Richmond, BC
* Halifax, NS

### International offices

[edit]

* Didcot, United Kingdom
* Stevenage, United Kingdom
* Manchester, United Kingdom
* Houston, TX, USA

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Space-tech firm MDA back in Canadian hands with $1B sale to investors including Balsillie". Financial Post. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
2. ^ Dotto, Lydia, 1949- (1992). A heritage of excellence : 25 years at Spar Aerospace Limited. Steel, David (David A. B.), Spar Aerospace Ltd. Mississauga, Ont.: Spar Aerospace Ltd. ISBN 0-9696618-0-0. OCLC 26931360.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. ^ Orbital Sciences Corporation (27 June 2000). "Form 10-K/A Orbital Sciences Corp /de/ Annual report [Section 13 and 15(d), not S-K Item 405]". Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
4. ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada (September 2009). Evaluation of the RADARSAT-2 Major Crown Project (PDF) (Report). Canadian Space Agency. p. 1\. 570-2782-3. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
5. ^ Bingham, Richard (25 January 2002). "To Infinity and Beyond". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
6. ^ Orbital Sciences Corporation (18 June 2001). "Orbital Completes Initial Phase of MDA Divestiture With Sale of 12.35 Million Shares for $112 Million". Northrop Grumman. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
7. ^ Orbital Sciences Corporation (31 May 2001). "Orbital Completes Initial Phase of MDA Divestiture With Sale of 12.35 Million Shares for $112 Million". Northrop Grumman. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
8. ^ a b "Ontario Teachers cash in 1.35 million MDA shares". The Globe and Mail. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
9. ^ Loral Space & Communications (2 November 2012). "Loral Closes Sale of Space Systems/Loral to MDA" (Press release). Retrieved 20 November 2020.
10. ^ Maxar Technologies (5 October 2017). "MDA Completes Acquisition of DigitalGlobe, Creates Industry Leader in Satellite Systems, Earth Imagery, Geospatial Solutions and Analytics" (Press release). Retrieved 20 November 2020.
11. ^ "Maxar Technologies, parent of DigitalGlobe, moves HQ to Colorado". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
12. ^ a b Leslie, Swartman (8 April 2020). "Iconic Space Technology Firm Returns to Canadian Control". MDA. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
13. ^ "Group led by John Risley to buy Canadarm maker MDA in $1-billion deal". www.thechronicleherald.ca. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
14. ^ "Canadarm maker to be acquired by Canadian investors in $1B deal". CBC News.
15. ^ "Canadarm owner to be bought by Canadian group". CTVNews. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
16. ^ "Canadian Space Agency awards Canadarm3 contract worth $22.8M to MDA". CTVNews. 2020-12-08. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
17. ^ Potter, Sean (2020-12-16). "NASA, Canadian Space Agency Formalize Gateway Partnership for Artemis". NASA. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
18. ^ "MDA LTD. ANNOUNCES PRICING OF INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING". MDA. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
19. ^ Accessed 19 August 2023, https://mda.space/en/article/mda-selected-for-major-role-on-telesat-lightspeed/
20. ^ Accessed 19 August 2023, https://www.telesat.com/press/press-releases/telesat-contracts-mda-as-prime-satellite-manufacturer-for-its-advanced-telesat-lightspeed-low-earth-orbit-constellation/
21. ^ Accessed 7 March 2024, https://mda.space/en/article/mda-rebrands-to-mda-space

## Further reading

[edit]

* Wills, Jocelyn. Tug of War: Surveillance Capitalism, Military Contracting, and the Rise of the Security State (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2017), scholarly history of MDA. online book review

Authority control databases |

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

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