Satellite mission planned to monitor Canadian resources and environment

Richmond, BC — February 5, 2003 — MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates has been chosen by the Canadian Space Agency to design an Earth observation satellite mission that will use hyperspectral technology.

The new mission will use special cameras to measure the intensity of reflected sunlight to provide a unique fingerprint of the Earth’s resources and environment. It will ‘see’ more of the colour spectrum, (literally hundreds of colours), to provide a new source of valuable information.

Applications include agriculture, forestry, geology, inland and coastal waters, the military, and urban planning. It can also be used to facilitate reporting requirements under the Kyoto Protocol.

“We’ve been selected to design an important and timely information mission that will play a key role in monitoring the world’s environment and resources," says David Caddey of MDA’s Information Systems Group. "We’ll be able to access a wealth of information from space, and further establish Canada as a world leader in innovative Earth observation technologies.”

Under the C$250,000 design study, MDA will identify the options available for a Canadian information mission that would employ small satellite technology, and utilize hyperspectral sensing.