SED Systems is a communications company supplying both systems and services to the satellite industry. Originating in 1965, SED is located in the

Innovation Place Research Park Innovation Place is the registered business name of the Saskatchewan Opportunities Corporation (SOCO), a crown corporation in Saskatchewan. SOCO operates two research parks: one located near the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ...

on the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

campus. As an operating division of the Calian Group Ltd., SED employs approximately 280 employees and annually achieves sales of over 80 million dollars. SED serves an international market that includes government defense departments, space organizations as well as commercial customers such as

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, Inmarsat and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Between 2001 and 2013, SED Systems provided the European Space Agency (ESA) with 3 deep-space antennas, the

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, Australia (DSA 1), the Cebreros Station, Spain (DSA 2), and

Malargüe Station Malargüe Station (also known as DSA 3 or Deep Space Antenna 3) is a 35-metre ESTRACK radio antenna in Argentina. It enables the European Space Agency (ESA) to communicate with spacecraft in deep space. It is located south of the town of Malargü ...

, Argentina (DSA 3). These are some of the largest antennas in the world, spanning 35 meters, allowing the ESA to track missions such as

Rosetta (spacecraft) ''Rosetta'' was a space probe built by the European Space Agency launched on 2 March 2004. Along with ''Philae'', its lander module, ''Rosetta'' performed a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P). During its journey to the ...

and the

Philae (spacecraft) ''Philae'' ( or ) was a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the ''Rosetta'' spacecraft until it separated to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, ten years and eight months after departing Earth. On 12 November 2014, ' ...

landing on comet

67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (abbreviated as 67P or 67P/C–G) is a Jupiter-family comet, originally from the Kuiper belt, with a current orbital period of 6.45 years, a rotation period of approximately 12.4 hours and a maximum velocity of . Chu ...

in 2014. Canada played an active role in the research and development of the International Space Station (ISS) with endeavors such as the Mobile Servicing System (MSS). SED Systems was a part of the

Mobile Servicing System The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...

program developed the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), or

Canadarm 2 The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...

. The Canadarm 1 was developed by a team led by

Spar Aerospace SPAR Aerospace was a Canadian aerospace company. It produced equipment for the Canadian Space Agency to be used in cooperation with NASA's Space Shuttle program, most notably the Canadarm, a remote manipulator system. The company went through a s ...

Special Products and Advance Research Division of

De Havilland Canada De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited is an aircraft manufacturer with facilities formerly based in the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original home of de Havilland Canada was the home of the Canadian Air and Space Museum lo ...

, in which SED Systems also played a key role.

History

The University of Saskatchewan's Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies came together with university scientists and researchers such as Dr. Alex Kavadas to form the Space Engineering Division or SED Systems. The first project was Black Brant (rocket) instrumentation design and construction for studying the upper atmosphere.

References

{{Satcomm Manufacturing companies of Canada University of Saskatchewan Companies based in Saskatoon Manufacturing companies established in 1965