MDA Starts Work on New Constellation for Undisclosed Customer 

MDA Headquarters (photo by MDA)

Canadian manufacturer MDA is starting work on a new constellation for an undisclosed customer, the company announced Friday. 

The announcement was light on details, but MDA received an authorization to proceed for a Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellite constellation. The initial contract is worth $180 million, and the full constellation is valued at a minimum of $750 million. 

MDA described the constellation as 36 software-defined digital satellites, a new MDA product recently introduced to the market. MDA would be the prime contractor and expects to finalize the full contract in 2024. 

MDA recently closed on its acquisition of SatixFy’s digital payload division to enhance its digital satellite product offering. The company has a number of constellation wins in the few years — it’s building the upgraded Globalstar constellation and snagged the Telesat Lightspeed contract away from Thales Alenia Space.