MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) has contracted SpaceX to launch Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), which consists of three satellites, on a Falcon 9 rocket sometime in 2018.
“SpaceX appreciates MDA’s confidence in our ability to safely and reliably transport their satellites,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and COO. “We hope this agreement is the second of many with MDA.”
SpaceX is scheduled to also launch Canada’s CASSIOPE satellite in September, though the launch could slip again as it has in the past.
The RADARSAT Constellation Mission is a follow on to the successful RADARSAT I and RADARSAT II missions. Launched, in 1995 and 2007, RADARSAT II is still in operation. They use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology to make earth observations. RADARSAT-1 was officially declared non-operational in May of this year.
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