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MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (“MDA” or the “Company”), a global communications and information company, announced that the Sapphire satellite developed by MDA for Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) has completed its commissioning and is fully transitioned into operations as a contributing sensor to the U.S. Space Surveillance Network. Details of the original announcement were provided in the Company’s news release dated Feb. 25, 2013. With the declaration of full operational capability, Sapphire will enter its five-year operational phase.
Canada’s Sapphire is the Department of National Defence’s first dedicated operational military satellite. The satellite tracks man-made space objects in Earth’s orbit between 6,000 and 40,000 km in altitude, as part of Canada’s continued support of Space Situational Awareness. Data from the Sapphire satellite is contributed to the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, enhancing the ability of both countries to detect and avoid the collision of critical space platforms with other satellites or pieces of debris.
