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Canada Awards C$688 Million Contract to MDA Space for Radarsat Replenishment

The award reflects Ottawa’s move to protect all-weather national imaging by adapting a commercial satellite design.

MDA Space will use the spacecraft design it developed for MDA Chorus for the Radarsat Constellation Mission replenishment satellite.
Technicians put the final touches on two of three Radarsat Constellation Mission satellites at the MDA facility Thursday, June 21, 2018 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
In 2019, Canada launched three radar satellites that can see through Arctic cloud and polar darkness, and now, with the original trio seven years into a seven-year design life, Ottawa has handed MDA Space a C$688 million contract to build the replacement before the constellation starts to fail

Overview

  • The Canadian Space Agency has contracted MDA Space for C$688 million to build a replacement satellite for the Radarsat Constellation Mission using MDA’s Chorus spacecraft design.
  • The contract follows an earlier C$44.7 million award that covered long-lead parts procurement and builds on small study contracts for both space and ground segments.
  • MDA’s Chorus-based approach reuses a commercial radar bus to reduce cost and schedule risk, while separate Chorus satellites being prepared by MDA and partner Iceye are expected to fly later this year.
  • No firm launch date for the replenishment satellite has been announced, leaving a delivery schedule that must align with the aging three-satellite RCM constellation in orbit since 2019.
  • Radarsat+ pairs this near-term replenishment buy with funded design studies across multiple Canadian firms to guide a next-generation SAR architecture and to sustain sovereign maritime, Arctic, disaster response, and defense imaging capabilities.