MacDonald Dettwiler
Encyclopedia
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. is a Richmond, British Columbia
-based Canadian aerospace, information services and products company, employing over 3000 people throughout Canada
, the United States
and the United Kingdom
, under the MDA brand name.
MDA provides commercial customers, industrial partners and governments (civil, defense, security, space, and R&D
agencies) with such information systems and solutions as:
MDA is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association
.
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
-based Canadian aerospace, information services and products company, employing over 3000 people throughout Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, under the MDA brand name.
MDA provides commercial customers, industrial partners and governments (civil, defense, security, space, and R&D
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
agencies) with such information systems and solutions as:
- Space roboticsRoboticsRobotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, satelliteSatelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
information and payload systems. - Earth observation, airborne, surveillanceSurveillanceSurveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
, intelligence, and environmental monitoringEnvironmental monitoringEnvironmental monitoring describes the processes and activities that need to take place to characterise and monitor the quality of the environment...
. - Radar and optical satelliteSatelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
imagery, and, remote sensingRemote sensingRemote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
. - Mapping products.
- Advanced research and developmentResearch and developmentThe phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
services for government, defense and commercial customers. - Robotic surgeryRobotic surgeryRobotic surgery, computer-assisted surgery, and robotically-assisted surgery are terms for technological developments that use robotic systems to aid in surgical procedures....
research via its NeuroArmNeuroArmNeuroArm is a surgical robot. It was specifically designed for neurosurgery. It is the first image-guided, MR-compatible surgical robot that can perform both microsurgery and stereotaxy.-Design:...
development program. - Real estate information products.
MDA is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association
British Columbia Technology Industry Association
The British Columbia Technology Industry Association is a not-for-profit member-funded trade association in British Columbia, Canada, which promotes the technology industry in the province...
.
History
- 2011 - announced funding partner and inaugural launch customer (IntelsatIntelsatIntelsat, Ltd. is a communications satellite services provider.Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization , it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast...
) for the MDA Space Infrastructure Servicing vehicle, a refueling depot and service spacecraft for communication satellites in geosynchronous orbitGeosynchronous orbitA geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period...
—slated to be the first in-space propellant depotPropellant depotAn orbital propellant depot is a cache of propellant that is placed on an orbit about the Earth or another body to allow spacecraft to be fuelled in space. Launching a spacecraft separately from some of its propellant enables missions with more massive payloads...
in spaceflight history. Launch planned for 2015. - 2008 - In June MDA wins the British Columbia Technology Industry AssociationBritish Columbia Technology Industry AssociationThe British Columbia Technology Industry Association is a not-for-profit member-funded trade association in British Columbia, Canada, which promotes the technology industry in the province...
Impact Award for Best Application of Technology for their RADARSAT-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite. - 2008 - Canadian government officially blocks sale of MDA to ATK on May 8, 2008
- 2008 - MDA announces sale of its Information Systems and Geospacial Services operations to Alliant TechsystemsAlliant TechsystemsAlliant Techsystems Inc., most commonly known by its ticker symbol, ', is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and 2010 revenues in excess of an estimated...
of Edina, MinnesotaEdina, MinnesotaEdina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
for $1.325 billion. However, amongst much media coverage, the sale was rejected by the federal government of Canada under the Investment Canada ActInvestment Canada ActThe Investment Canada Act is a Canadian Federal law governing large foreign direct investment in Canada. The ICA was one of the first acts of Brian Mulroney's newly elected Progressive Conservative government, receiving royal assent on June 20, 1985...
. - 2007 - named one of Canada's Top 100 EmployersCanada's Top 100 EmployersCanada's Top 100 Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places in Canada to work. First held in 1999, the project aims to single out the employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional working conditions and progressive human resources policies. Winners are...
, as published in Maclean'sMaclean'sMaclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
magazine. - 2006 - acquires Lyttle & Co. (Belfast, Northern Ireland), property and related search information
- 2006 - acquires xit2 Ltd. (Nr Charlbury, Oxfordshire, UK), information exchange solutions for lenders and home surveyors and other outsourced service providers
- 2006 - acquires Rochford Brady Group (Dublin, Ireland), legal property and company information search
- 2006 - acquires PropertyFlow (Kent, United Kingdom), property insurance and conveyancing search
- 2006 - expands into financial services with acquisition of Mindbox, a supplier of advanced decision systems for mortgage lending, for $12.6 million USD, with up to $10.75 million contingent on performance
- 2005 - acquires business of EMS Technologies Canada (previously RCA Canada, which then became the Montreal division of SPAR AerospaceSpar AerospaceSPAR Aerospace was a Canadian aerospace company. It produced equipment for the Canadian Space Agency to be used in cooperation with NASA's Space Shuttle program, most notably the Canadarm remote manipulator system....
), a major supplier and subcontractor, for $8.9 million - 2004 - acquires Marshall & Swift / Boechk for $337.8 million, with $104.9 million contingent on performance.
- 2003 - acquires Millar & Bryce, a commercial provider of land information in Scotland, for $21.32 million, with $1.76 million contingent on performance.
- 2002 - acquires Dynacs for $3.1 million, with an additional $6.8 million contingent on performance
- 2002 - acquires Automated Mining Systems of Aurora, Ontario for $225,000
- 2002 - acquires Earth Satellite; subsidiary becomes [MDA Federal]
- 2001 - MDA UK launches National Land Information Service (NLIS)
- 2000/01 - Orbital Sciences divests its MDA shares through an initial public offering; trades as
- 2000 - enters joint venture with LandAmerica Financial Group to create LandMDA, a provider of property reports to lenders
- 2000 - acquires Atlantic Technologies of Huntsville, Alabama for $12.5 million on closing and $8.9 million in MDA shares (paid over 3 years); becomes MD Atlantic Technologies
- 2000 - acquires DataQuick Information Systems
- 1999 - completes buy-out of Radarsat International from SPAR AerospaceSpar AerospaceSPAR Aerospace was a Canadian aerospace company. It produced equipment for the Canadian Space Agency to be used in cooperation with NASA's Space Shuttle program, most notably the Canadarm remote manipulator system....
, Technology Horizons Ltd., and Lockheed Martin Astronautics - 1999 - acquires FDI Forest Dimensions, a provider of forestry-related mapping and forest inventory management
- 1999 - acquires the Space and Advanced Robotics (Brampton, Ontario) Division of SPAR AerospaceSpar AerospaceSPAR Aerospace was a Canadian aerospace company. It produced equipment for the Canadian Space Agency to be used in cooperation with NASA's Space Shuttle program, most notably the Canadarm remote manipulator system....
; subsidiary becomes MD Robotics - 1999 - acquires Terra Surveys (Ottawa)
- 1997 - MDA led consortium purchases BC Online from Province of British Columbia
- 1997 - acquires Triathlon Mapping
- 1997 - acquires Maritime Information Systems business of CANAC/Microtel
- 1996 - acquires Iotek, a supplier of signal processing and sonar technology for military customers, for undisclosed sum
- 1995 - MDA acquired by Orbital Sciences for $67 million in stock
- 1969 - founded by John S. MacDonaldJohn S. MacDonaldJohn Spencer MacDonald, OC co-founded MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates with partner, Vern Dettwiler, in 1969. He served as President and CEO until 1982, and as Chairman of the Board from 1982 to 1998. In addition to professorships in electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of...
and Werner Dettwiler