MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.
announced today that the company’s subsidiary, MD Robotics, has
been awarded an additional $2.3 Million CDN by Boeing to provide additional
elements for the Orbital Express Program, a major U.S. advanced technology
demonstrator to reconfigure and refuel satellites on orbit.
MDA is a key member of the Orbital Express team, having won a contract in
May 2002 to provide the robotics system that will capture satellites and
perform servicing, a ground segment to monitor and control the robotic
operations, and all Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) containers and interfaces
that will become standard on future missions.
The new tasks announced today include a camera system for monitoring the
on-orbit docking operations, additional ground test equipment to support end-
to-end system level tests, and flight support equipment for the ORU containers
and other robotic elements.
Orbital Express is funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA), and is scheduled to be launched in 2006.
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