BRAMPTON, ON, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - MDA, a Maxar
Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), today applauded the
announcement by Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development
(ISED) minister Navdeep Bains that
Canada will join the Lunar Gateway
program, a major international initiative led by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to return to the Moon.
Canada will provide artificial
intelligence-based robotics for the Lunar Gateway, extending the
Canadarm program for another generation. In addition to the Lunar
Gateway announcement, the government announced a number of other
space initiatives and committed to unveiling a long-term space
strategy in the coming days. Canada's commitment to the Lunar Gateway
program totals CAD $2.05 billion over
the duration of the program.
The Lunar Gateway will be a Moon-orbiting outpost that will
support persistent human activity on the lunar surface and serve as
short-term habitat for astronauts, a communications node, a science
laboratory and a staging ground for exploration into deeper space.
The first elements of the Lunar Gateway will launch in 2022, and
construction will take place over the next several years.
"We are extremely pleased to see the Government of Canada continue our country's leadership role
on the international space team, and to advance Canada's unique world leadership position in
space robotics," said Mike Greenley,
Group President of MDA. "MDA is honoured to have been the provider
of space robotics to the Canadian government for over 35 years on
the Space Shuttle program and the International Space Station."
The "Canadarm3" robotics on the Lunar Gateway will be essential
for critical operations and maintenance of this new international
space station, on both the outside and inside of the station, and
will consist of a larger manipulator arm and a smaller dexterous
arm. Whereas the current International Space Station (ISS) operates
approximately 400 kilometres from Earth, the Lunar Gateway will
orbit the Moon approximately 400,000 kilometres from Earth,
requiring a significant advancement in robotic and autonomous
control systems and capabilities. Because of this great distance,
the highly specialized Canadian contribution to the Lunar Gateway
program will leverage the Canadian industrial base expertise in
both space robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) – two areas
where Canadian firms and academic organizations are established
international leaders.
"Over 500 companies across Canada participated in the ISS robotics
program," added Mr. Greenley. "We expect a similarly robust and
diverse pan-Canadian supply chain will form to execute Canada's commitment to the Lunar Gateway,
including Canada's strong AI
community."
MDA has conducted a number of early concept studies for the
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on the Lunar Gateway robotics solution
over the past several years, as well as a survey of Canadian firms
that could be engaged to deliver this capability. In 2018, MDA
conducted its own industry day to meet with key industrial
suppliers across Canada to explore
this potential space robotics opportunity. MDA estimates that the
Lunar Gateway program will create 10,000 person-years of employment
over the duration of the program involving high quality Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) jobs in Canada as a result of this commitment by
Canada. Furthermore, this flagship
program will enable follow-on exports and commercialization in the
new space economy and enhance industrial competitiveness on the
global stage.
Canada's world-renowned space
robotics and on-orbit servicing capabilities span more than 35
years, including more than 90 on-orbit servicing missions with
Canadarm as part of the Space Shuttle program, plus 18 years of
continual robotic operations using Canadarm2 and Dextre to build
and maintain the International Space Station. In return for
Canada's contribution of space
robotics, Canada was offered
astronaut flights – to date, nine Canadian astronauts have flown on
17 spaceflight missions.
MDA has been part of an initiative called Don't Let Go Canada, a
coalition of close to 70 space companies, associations, student
groups, academia and labour that has called on the government to
announce a long-term space strategy and investment in Canada's space program in order to extend
Canada's leadership in space,
secure tomorrow's STEM jobs and to position Canada to succeed in the emerging $1 trillion commercial space economy.
________________
About MDA
MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics,
space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems,
surveillance and intelligence systems, defence and maritime
systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space
expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and
commercial applications that include multi-platform command,
control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems,
land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a
leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and
insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA
is recognized as one of Canada's
most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. MDA is a Maxar Technologies
company (TSX: MAXR) (NYSE: MAXR). For more information visit
www.mdacorporation.com.
About Maxar Technologies
As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar
Technologies is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing
and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information,
services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial
and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies
provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise including
satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics
to help customers anticipate and address their most complex
mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,100
employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies
portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL,
DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people
rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and
deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the New
York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more
information, visit www.maxar.com.
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SOURCE Maxar Technologies Ltd.
