MDA Space says it can now deliver up to 400 satellites per year after expanding its Montréal satellite manufacturing facility.
The expansion doubles MDA’s manufacturing floor space as it chases increased global demand for satellite constellations.
The Brampton, Ont.-based company announced Monday morning that it has finished its Montréal facility’s 185,000-square-foot expansion after just under two years of construction. The expansion doubles MDA’s manufacturing floor space as it chases increased global demand for satellite constellations, which are groups of satellites that are networked to cover most of the Earth at any given time. Other companies in the industry include SpaceX’s Starlink and Ottawa-based Telesat.
MDA CEO Mike Greenley said constellations is an area in which the company can become “a leading prime contractor.”
“With connectivity needs and the geopolitical climate evolving, we now have the cutting-edge talent, technology and capacity to deliver reliable, secure solutions for commercial, civil and military customers rapidly,” Greenley said in a statement.
The bulk of MDA’s revenue last quarter came from satellite systems, at $313 million CAD, up from $222 million last year, according to its Q1 earnings report last week. Greenley said on the earnings call that MDA expects between 40,000 and 50,000 satellites to be launched globally between 2025 and 2034. MDA says it could assist with or provide 20-30 percent of those.
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MDA’s expanded facility is designed to continuously assemble, integrate, and test its flagship Aurora satellites. The facility integrates augmented reality and automated equipment to help technicians with repetitive tasks, according to the company. MDA also said it has developed a proprietary test chamber to reduce validation time and enhance the quality assurance process.
Alongside the new tech, MDA said it has adopted new engineering, manufacturing, and data collection processes that allow it to deliver constellation programs and up to 400 satellites per year. An MDA spokesperson told BetaKit in an email that, before this expansion to enable high-volume manufacturing, the company mostly produced large, custom satellites that took several years to build.
With files from Sarah Rieger.
Feature image courtesy MDA Space.