MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) of Canada has received an initial payment from the government of Ukraine for a telecommunications satellite, permitting the company to put the $254 million contract into its backlog some seven months after announcing the deal, MDA announced July 16.
Richmond, British Columbia-based MDA won the contract from the National Space Agency of Ukraine with a financial package backed by Canada’s export-credit agency, Export Development Canada. The contract, which includes two control centers and other services in addition to the satellite, is an example of MDA’s new ambitions in the commercial satellite sector.
MDA will be providing the satellite’s electronics payload and will purchase a satellite platform, or bus, and also will handle launch services under the contract.
