ST-BRUNO-DE-MONTARVILLE, Que. - An office in a Montreal suburb building is set to command a made-in-Canada space mission. MDA Space unveiled a control centre in St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Que., that will issue orders to Chorus, a next-generation Earth-observation satellite system set to be launched in December. “As soon as the satellites separate from the rocket, that’s it. After that we take control and everything is happening here,” said Philippe Rolland, MDA Space principal director of operations for Earth-observation satellites. MDA says Chorus will deliver high-resolution images of Earth, no matter the meteorological conditions. It will also offer eyes on a 700-kilometre-wide swath of the planet. “If you are looking for an illegal fishing boat, for instance, and your swath width is only tens of kilometres, you have to scan for a long time before you find it,” said Luigi Pozzebon, MDA Space vice-president of satellite systems. “With a 700-kilometre beam, you have better hope of finding your needle in a haystack.” The Chorus system was designed and built without government funding, and the company says the commercial enterprise has already attracted a wide range of clients. “It gives you that broader perspective from space,” he said. “For example, when you want to look at coastal erosion or you want to monitor different waterways in Canada, you need a broader perspective, rather than a really focused one here on the ground.” “Space can offer that unique and broad perspective of what the Earth looks like, the changes that happen on Earth,” said Minda Suchan, MDA Space vice-president of geointelligence. Canada’s role in space technology Chorus will mark a significant step in space for Canadian satellite technology. In 1962, Canada became the third country after the United States and Russia to enter the space age with the launch of Alouette 1, which helped develop a niche in the industry. In 1995, the country’s first Earth-observation satellite, Radarsat-1, was launched and stayed in orbit for 17 years, exceeding its planned mission. It established Canada’s reputation as a world leader in satellite radar technology. Radarsat-2 came in 2007, followed by Radarsat Constellation. “MDA is really building on the case of investment by Canada to now developing a purely commercial service,” said Jean-Claude Piedboeuf, acting president of the Canadian Space Agency. MDA says its Chorus mission is expected to monitor deforestation and coastal erosion, but could also lead to improvements in dealing with natural disasters. That could include better prediction of floods. Chorus is scheduled for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December and to be fully operational in 2027.
