By Adriano Marchese

MDA Space has won a 32 million Canadian dollar contract ($23.4 million) from Canada's Defence Investment Agency to deliver three new ground-based optical observatories, expanding the country's space-surveillance capabilities.

The Canadian space-technology firm has been selected to provide three observatories that are part of a Surveillance of Space 2 domain awareness program launched by the Department of National Defence.

Once operational, the observatories will provide expanded defence capabilities to Canada's existing Sapphire satellite which currently support's Canada's military to track and monitor potential threats in deep space.

As part of the contract MDA will also operate and provide in-service support to maintain the ground stations, it said.

The contract is part of Canada's Defence Investment Agency, a new body designed to cut delays and reduce red tape to speed up how quickly the country's armed forces and coast guard receive critical equipment.

Governments are shifting more spending towards defense and faster procurement, which is contributing to a growing pipeline of opportunities for MDA, Chief Executive Mike Greenley said in an interview earlier in the month. The company has identified C$40 billion in potential programs over the next five years across government, defense and commercial markets--double the amount outlined a year ago.

Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 18, 2026 14:23 ET (18:23 GMT)

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