MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) received a contract from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to study the development of a joint Canadian-Italian hyperspectral satellite, the company announced July 31.

Under the 1.4 million Cdn contract ($1.2 million), MDA will define a new hyperspectral satellite that could be manufactured for the CSA and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana. The Italian industrial partner is Alcatel Alenia Space, which received a similar contract from the Italian space agency.