[Satellite Today – 2-1-08] Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) won a contract from MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) to deliver a satellite platform as part of the Sapphire space object surveillance program, SSTL announced Feb. 1.

    The two-year program is part of a contract from Canada’s Department of National Defence valued at 65 million Canadian dollars ($65.2 million). The contract has options that cover mission support, operations and maintenance.

    The mission will provide a satellite-based resident space object observing service that will provide accurate tracking data on deep space orbiting objects. Sapphire will feature a space-based data collection platform for continuous surveillance of man-made objects in medium- to high-Earth orbits (6,000 to 40,000 kilometers). The data collected will be processed by a ground-based system and the results will be used to update the U.S. Satellite Catalogue used by North American Aerospace Defense Command and Canada to provide space situational awareness.