Canadian space technology provider MDA Space has been awarded an initial contract worth over 100 million Canadian dollars (close 72 млн доларів США) from prime contractor Thales Alenia Space. The agreement provides for the supply of digital antenna subsystems for the European Union's sovereign satellite group IRIS².
MDA Space will begin engineering and manufacturing for the first 66 satellites in low Earth orbit within the multi-orbital communication network.
The choice of a non-European supplier of key communications equipment has sparked debate in Europe. Observers noted, that the nearest European alternative could be the Swiss company SWISSto12. At the same time, on the same day, the EU and Canada officially launched consultations on the possible participation of Canada in the IRIS² initiative.
According to the previous agreement, MDA Space will manufacture digital phased antenna arrays and controllers based on the MDA AURORA modular platform. The software-defined beamforming system uses the same architecture, as does the Telesat Lightspeed Group, and provides dynamic beam steering and on-orbit capacity distribution.
The final contract for the full scope of work has yet to be drawn up. MDA Space will reflect the initial order in the portfolio in the fourth quarter 2026 financial year. Launches of the first 66 satellites of the first level are planned for 2029 year.
Source: https://satnews.com