SpaceDev [OTC BB: SPDV.OB] of Poway, Calif., has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to explore the use of microsatellites in national missile defense. In January, SpaceDev launched CHIPSat, the smallest, high-performance low-cost satellite ever produced in the United States, according to the company. SpaceDev’s microsats are operated over the Internet and are capable of pointing and tracking targets in space or on the ground. The new contract value is $800,000, and the total value of SpaceDev’s microsatellite studies for MDA is over $1 million this year.