HIGH-TECH INVESTMENT
Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains, left, CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen and MDA president Mike Greenley speak next to a RADARSAT Constellation satellite following a federal funding announcement at MDA’s Ste-Anne-de-Bellev
The MDA facility in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue looks like so many other nondescript industrial plants located on the Trans-Canada Highway in the West Island.
But behind the walls of the sprawling facility, MDA is building some of the most advanced space satellite systems in the world.
Last Friday, Science Minister Navdeep Bains announced the federal government is investing $26.7 million in space technology that will benefit 33 Canadian companies, including MDA.
More than $4 million of that amount is targeted for MDA, which is building three RADARSAT Constellation satellites expected to be launched in November.
Bains said government investment will further Canada’s role in space technology and create or maintain nearly 400 jobs in the specialized aerospace industry.
“If there is anything I can say that is innovative, it’s space,” he said. “It’s at the top of the pyramid if you look at innovation. It creates well-paying, middle-class jobs for Canadians. It stimulates our economy and attracts investments. And most importantly, space truly inspires us.”
Mike Greenley, president of MDA, welcomed the government support. He said it will help the company continue developing radar satellite systems and space robotics. “MDA has been part of the Canadian landscape for about 120 years,” Greenley said.
“This Montreal business started in 1899 building gramophones for the RCA Victor Company that merged into satellites and has been doing that ever since,” he added. “So we like to say we’ve been in Canada for 120 years and we’ve spent 50 years in space with the country.
“None of what I’ve described would exist today were it not for the long-term partnership and collaboration we’ve enjoyed with the Canadian Space Agency and the Government of Canada,” he added.
“Governments with long-term vision understand that investments made in space accelerate advancements in science and technology ... and reap benefits for our citizens here on Earth,” he continued.
Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut with the Canada Space Agency, said investment and support for space technology is critical for the future.
“Behind every astronaut mission, there is a team of world-renowned experts like you, keeping us safe and on course,” Hansen said.
“We rely on you for the technology to make space flight possible. From navigation and life support systems used for space craft to medical equipment that keeps the crew safe and healthy, to robotics that allows us to build and maintain the space station.”
The astronaut said MDA satellites will eventually become Canada’s “future eyes on Earth.”
“Once launched, the RADARSAT Constellation satellites will provide information on our planet for maritime surveillance, monitoring our eco-systems, agriculture as well as the impacts of climate change.”
MDA has 1,900 employees in Canada, including about 800 at its Ste-Anne’s facility. The MDA head office is located in Brampton, Ont.
“The Montreal site is primarily focused on satellite sub-systems, a lot of engineering and very impressive manufacturing; fourthgeneration robotic-based manufacturing of super high quality satellite components that we sell to satellite manufacturers around the world,” Greenley said.
“We’re talking about the antennas on the satellites, the electronics in the satellites and the payloads in the satellites that will allow it to communicate, or sense the Earth or look at the Earth. All those pieces come from here.”