MDA has been a leader in Earth Observation systems for more than three decades, supplying the majority of civilian remote sensing centres around the world. The company was prime contractor for RADARSAT-1, a mission launched in 1995 and still in operation far in excess of its 5-year design life.

MDA is currently involved in a number of earth observation missions as mission prime, payload supplier and/or ground segment supplier. The company's program of continuous development supports its range of innovative, high-performance technologies that have redefined state-of-the-art in the space industry.

Building on the success of RADARSAT-1, MDA continues to be at the forefront of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth observation with the development of the RADARSAT-2 follow-on program, and the next-generation RADARSAT Constellation Mission.

Small satellite programs underway include MDA's turnkey space and ground segment for the German RapidEye commercial mission, a constellation of five mid- to low-resolution optical small satellites, and mission definition work on the future Canadian hyperspectral HERO mission.