Magellan Aerospace Announces Newest Small Satellite Bus Selected for First Mission
Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, France – June 13, 2005 – Magellan Aerospace announced today that MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) selected the company’s MAC-200 small satellite bus for the CASSIOPE mission. Under the terms of the $18 million ($CDN) contract, Magellan will design, assemble, integrate and test the MAC-200 small satellite bus.
The project is a follow-on to a key contract received from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced in March 2004, when Magellan was selected to design a multi-mission satellite bus, called the MAC-200. The selection of the MAC-200 for CASSIOPE is an important step that could lead to additional small satellite opportunities for various missions including the CSA Small Satellite Bus Development Program.
“This contract is a significant milestone in a number of respects,” said Mr. Paul Heide, General Manager of Magellan’s Space Business Unit. “It is the first mission for our MAC-200 small satellite bus, which is an important milestone to begin the process of building heritage. It is also a strong endorsement from MDA in the ability of our team to deliver the bus for a challenging mission. This contract marks an important step towards building and strengthening our relationship with MDA.”
The CASSIOPE mission, scheduled for launch in late 2007, will serve two purposes. It will demonstrate a potential new information delivery service called Cascade that will allow very large amounts of information to be delivered to decision-makers anywhere in the world.
CASSIOPE will also include an innovative scientific probe carrying a suite of eight scientific instruments, called e-POP, developed by a team led by the University of Calgary. This payload will conduct studies on Sun-Earth relations, such as research on the ionosphere to better understand solar storms and their harmful effects on space technologies such as those used in radio communications and satellite navigation.
During the next ten years, the CSA plans to use the MAC-200 bus for a variety of missions and a wide range of payloads to meet the needs of the scientific community, industry and the priorities of the Government of Canada.
The missions will be determined according to the strategic needs of the Canadian Space Program in key areas of interest related to: Earth and Environment, Space Science and Exploration, Space Technology and Satellite Communications.
Magellan Aerospace Corporation is one of the worlds most integrated and comprehensive aerospace industry suppliers. Magellan designs, engineers, and manufactures aeroengine and aerostructure assemblies and components for aerospace markets, advanced products for military and space markets, and complementary specialty products. Magellan is a public company whose shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MAL), with operating units throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
For more information contact:
W.A. (Bill) Matthews
Vice President Marketing
Tel (Paris): 011 33 01 41 69 32 41
Tel: 905 6577 1889
Fax: 905 677 5658
E-mail: bmatthew@magellanaerospace.com