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The stars have once again aligned for Canada’s leading space firm. Earlier this month, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., now known simply as MDA, a Canadian global communications and information enterprise providing technology solutions to commercial and government organizations worldwide, completed its $2.4 billion purchase of DigitalGlobe, an American-based global provider of high resolution Earth imagery and geospatial information.

Young, motivated and ambitious. That’s how I would describe three of the organizers of the Montreal Space Symposium I had chance to interview. 

On October 2nd MDA’s acquisition of DigitialGlobe closed. The new company formed from this acquisition will be called Maxar Technologies and will have 6,500 employees with $3B in 2016 revenues. Contrast that to January 2008 when MDA thought it had sold its space business to then Alliant Techsystems (ATK), now Orbital ATK, and we’re planning on leaving the space market. Then, as in now, context …

This weeks podcast features two segments recorded at the Montreal Space Symposium on Thursday, October 5th.

The Liberals rightly criticized the Conservatives for not being transparent when they were the government. Now that the Liberals are in power, they plan on following through with their promise to update the Access to Information Act. The problem? Bill C-58 will result in a less transparent government in which the government decides what the public should know.

Funny, emotional, and intimate stories through Story Collider were a new addition to this year’s Science Literacy Week events.

The president of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) spoke to a younger conference audience than he usually does today, as the Montreal Space Symposium was conceived and organized by students.

My guest this week is none other than my business partner Keith Cowing. Keith and I co-founded SpaceRef 18 years ago.

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) today signed a memorandum of understanding that could see the Dream Chaser being used by Canadian researchers and businesses.

The Governor General may be Canada’s representative to the Queen, but yesterday’s installation of former astronaut Julie Payette as Canada’s 29th Governor General was all Canadian.