MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) won a Cdn. $1 million (U.S. $821,693) contract from Canada’s Department of National Defense (DND) for the design of a Canadian Space Surveillance System in support of DND’s surveillance of space mission. The system will be known as Sapphire and will feature a space-based sensor that will provide observations of manmade objects and space debris in medium- to high-earth orbits. The data will be included in a space catalog maintained by the U.S. Defense Department to provide situational awareness. MDA said the Sapphire design phase will last about nine months and, if accepted for implementation, Sapphire will be delivered in the 2009-2010 timeframe.