COM DEV International Ltd. has formally
commenced a $7M internally funded program to
develop an advanced micro-satellite platform and
associated micro-sat mission capability. This
initiative represents a strategic expansion
beyond the Company's traditional role as an
equipment, instrumentation and subsystem
supplier, designed to take advantage of a trend
towards smaller, more responsive satellites.
COM DEV will develop a capability to design and
manufacture a class of micro-satellites that can
be used to satisfy a range of emerging national
and international requirements in a highly
cost-effective manner. The spacecraft platform
will support a range of applications including
surveillance, security, environmental
monitoring, scientific analysis and
communications. The design will meet all
micro-satellite requirements set out by the
Canadian Space Agency, and exceed them in the
areas of power generation and data downlink
capacity. COM DEV's strategy is to create a
single bus design that
can be tailored to the needs of multiple
missions.
"Micro-satellites offer cost-effective access to
space, enabling a much broader range of
applications which support Canada's national
interests as well as the needs of the global
community. With a renewed focus in Canada on the
strategic significance of the space industry, we
believe it is an
opportune time to provide several federal
departments with novel, space-based solutions,"
said John Keating, CEO of COM DEV International
Ltd. "From a corporate perspective,
micro-satellites represent an attractive growth
opportunity that takes advantage of our decades
of space engineering expertise, while avoiding
the territory of our existing customers who
focus on much larger spacecraft."
Micro-satellites represent an emerging
opportunity made possible by the ongoing
miniaturization of key spacecraft components,
and a performance oriented approach to
spacecraft design and testing. At 150 kilograms
or less, they are a fraction of the size of
traditional geostationary Earth orbit (GEO)
satellites, and can be built and launched
relatively quickly and cost effectively. As a
result, micro-satellites can now be employed
from low Earth orbit (LEO) to satisfy a range of
emerging, niche applications. COM DEV is
currently engaged in a number of activities with
various customer groups on a global basis to
demonstrate the utility that can be achieved
through the use of micro-satellite-based
technologies.
