The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency, has announced a four-year contract valued at $109 million between the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA). MDA will continue to provide logistics, sustaining engineering services for the Canadian-made Mobile Servicing System on the International Space Station (ISS).
The Mobile Servicing System, a multi-faceted sophisticated robotics system, is Canada's main contribution to the International Space Station and is critical to its assembly, maintenance, and servicing. It consists of three elements: Canadarm2, the Mobile Base System and Dextre.
Canadarm2 and the Mobile Base System were delivered and installed on the Station in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Dextre, a special purpose multi-functional robot, was launched and installed on the Space Station in March 2008.
Under this contract, administered by Public Works and Government Services Canada, MDA will continue to provide systems engineering, general technical support, and software maintenance and enhancement, and to deliver spares provisioning for Canadian robotic components orbiting on the International Space Station.
This will allow Canada to continue to meet its robotics commitments to the International Space Station program.
