Work on Canada's third Radarsat remote sensing satellite has officially gotten underway as the Canadian Space Agency issued a feasibility studies contract to MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates -- the Canadian-based corporation that built the robot arms for the international space station and NASA's space shuttles.

An artist's impression the Radarsat 2 and Radarsat 3 satellites working together in space. Photo: MDA

"This investment towards a potential Radarsat 3 mission supports the government's commitment to building Canadian knowledge and expertise, strengthening the Canadian economy and leading the world in Earth Observation to benefit Canadians and all humanity. In partnership with MDA and the value-added sector, the design and operation of this leading-edge Canadian technology would continue to enhance our ability to map the present, and help us to better manage our future," said W.M. (Mac) Evans, head of CSA.

MDA is currently operating in the role of prime contractor for Radarsat 2, scheduled for launch into a polar orbit aboard a Delta 2 rocket launched from California in 2003.

"Our partnership with the Canadian Space Agency on Radarsat 2 development has advanced the commercialization of Canadian space-based Earth Observation activities," added David Caddey, MDA Vice President and General Manager of the Space Missions sector of MDA. "The Radarsat 3 proposal is evidence of government and industry commitment to take another step forward in that vision -- advancing Canada's technology to serve the evolving demands of a global industry."

Radarsat 3 will be launched into a polar orbit to begin a seven year mission to collect radar data all around the globe, while concentrating on the polar regions. The craft would be launched a few years after Radarsat 2, then the two craft are planned to work together throughout their lifetimes to produce data on Earth's elevation and terrain.

All of the data collected would create perhaps the most advanced space-based mapping information mission in history. In fact, MDA says that information gathered from the two Radarsat satellites would be used in the vast majority of all mapping programs.

"The potential of the Radarsat 3 mission is enormous," said Daniel Friedmann, President and CEO of MDA. "We are talking about the creation of a precise global source of land information that the international business and government communities need to better understand our planet and to make more effective decisions about its stewardship."

Results from the dual mission will be used for both government and commercial uses for such applications as natural resource exploration, civil engineering, land use planning, air traffic routing and navigation, flood monitoring, rescue missions and disaster relief, and telecommunications site planning.