Canadian satellite major MDA is building a new commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite mission to build up on its RADARSAT-2 program. The new mission will build upon its existing space-based C-band SAR technology, and will provide operational continuity for its existing RADARSAT-2 customers, including commercial, government and institutional clients.
“This announcement today represents a significant investment in our company’s future, and will introduce a new and reliable source of next generation Earth observation data, imagery and analytics to the world,” MDA Chief Executive Officer Mike Greenley said in a statement.
The company hasn’t yet decided on a launch plan, and said more details about the continuity mission will be released in the coming weeks and months.
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RADARSAT-2 is a public-private partnership between MDA and the Canadian Space Agency, and is considered industry-best in terms of flexibility and commercial capacity for a SAR mission. Launched in 2007, RADARSAT-2 continues to serve beyond its seven-year mission life.
MDA, a SAR leader
“MDA delivers world-class operational geospatial intelligence systems and services that empower government and commercial customers around the globe to make critical decisions in support of their missions,” Greenley added.
MDA specializes in SAR satellites and has built a series of SAR missions in partnership with CSA, starting with the RADARSAT-1, which was launched in 1995 and went out of operation in 2003. The three-spacecraft fleet of RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) was launched in 2019. With satellites smaller than RADARSAT-2, RCM’s goal is to provide data for climate research and commercial applications including oil exploration, fishing, shipping, etc.
The company has extensive experience in successfully delivering near-real time imagery and analytics-derived information products and services and providing complex and demanding operational support to government and commercial customers worldwide.
MDA already has a multi-mission ground station network in place, which it plans to further leverage for this mission. It also has advanced teams specializing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, including machine learning and deep learning, to manage large volumes of data across multiple sensor platforms and enhance our data analytics capabilities.
Launched in 2007, RADARSAT-2 continues to offer reliable, near-real-time access to all-weather imagery and surveillance information for a wide range of mission-critical civil, commercial and defense applications. It has the capacity to produce over 75,000 images per year, and covers between 144 and 265,000 sq kmin a single scene.
SAR market heating up
So far, the high cost associated with the design and development of SAR was considered one of the key industry challenges hampering the market growth. Though a favorite with defense and intelligence communities, commercial SAR satellite market has been heating up off late, driven by new players, and a rising number of satellite launches. Technological advancements with the miniaturization of SAR sensors are expected to drive their applications in the commercial sector, supporting the overall market growth.
Compared to new small sat SAR players like Capella Space and ICEYE, each RCM satellites weigh 1,430 kg while RADARSAT-2 weighs 2,200 kg.
Capella Space recently announced that it is now officially open for commercial operations. The company, which holds the first and only commercial FCC license for a US designed and operated SAR provider, announced on January 12 that it was finally ready to distribute its high-quality SAR imagery to customers — governments and commercial industry — in almost every country.
The demand for SAR data has increased in recent times due to continuity — SAR satellites can see through cloud and darkness — and thus greatly enhances our understanding of climate change, ice patterns and natural disasters; provides informed decisions to improve agriculture, forestry and natural resource management; or helps mitigation of illegal fishing, oil spills, and coastal flood damage.
