MDA Ltd. is a Canadian space technology company headquartered in
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...
, Canada, that provides geointelligence, robotics & space operations, and satellite systems.
History
MDA (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) was founded in 1969 by
John S. MacDonald
John Spencer MacDonald, (1936–2019) was a Canadian engineer, businessman, and academic. He was co-founder of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), an aerospace, information systems, and technology company. MacDonald served as the chancell ...
and Vern Dettwiler in the basement of MacDonald's Vancouver home. The company became a subsidiary of
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...
(OSC) from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
on 17 November 1995.
MDA was primary contractor for, and took ownership of, the
RADARSAT-2 Earth observation satellite.
MDA bought the space robotics division of
Spar Aerospace—manufacturer of the
Canadarm
Canadarm or Canadarm1 (officially Shuttle Remote Manipulator System or SRMS, also SSRMS) is a series of robotic arms that were used on the Space Shuttle orbiters to deploy, manoeuvre, and capture payloads. After the Space Shuttle ''Columbia ...
—in March 1999, renaming it MD Robotics. The company completed the
Mobile Servicing System (including the Canadarm2) for the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...
. OSC sold its entire stake in 2001. Nearly 70% was sold to a group of Canadian investors; the
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) became the largest shareholder with a 29% stake.
In the 2000s, MDA experienced difficulties winning contracts in the United States. In 2008, an attempt to sell the space division to
Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) was an American aerospace, defense, and sporting goods company with its headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. The company operated in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and other countries. ATK's ...
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., leading to OTPP reducing its stake to less than 10%.
MDA bought
DigitalGlobe in 2017, and rebranded as
Maxar Technologies.; the company moved its headquarters to Colorado, United States.
On 8 April 2020, Toronto-based investment firm Northern Private Capital bought the MDA assets from Maxar
for (). and named the new company MDA; the company is headquartered in Canada.
On 9 December 2020, The
Canadian Space Agency
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA; french: Agence spatiale canadienne, ASC) is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the ''Canadian Space Agency Act''.
The president is Lisa Campbell, who took the position on September 3, 202 ...
(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. 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.
On 7 April 2021, MDA became a publicly traded company on the
Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol MDA.
Facilities
Canada
*
Brampton, ON (HQ)
*
Dartmouth, NS
*
Kanata, ON
*
Montreal, QC
*
Ottawa, ON
*
Richmond, BC
International offices
*
Didcot, United Kingdom
*
Houston, TX
References
{{Authority control
Aerospace companies of Canada
Companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Space industry companies of Canada
Companies based in Brampton
Manufacturing companies established in 1969
Canadian companies established in 1969
1969 establishments in British Columbia
Manufacturing companies based in Ontario