MDA Space Inaugurates One of the World’s Largest Satellite Manufacturing Plants in Montréal
Montreal got a major boost to Canada’s space sector yesterday when MDA Space officially opened a sprawling new 185,000-square-foot satellite manufacturing facility — completed in under two years, the plant signals the company’s aggressive pivot toward high-volume production. The expansion doubles MDA Space’s manufacturing footprint and puts the Canadian company firmly in competition for large-scale commercial, civil, and military satellite constellations.
The new facility is designed specifically to assemble and test MDA’s AURORA software-defined satellites, with automated equipment and a proprietary test chamber that could support production of up to 400 satellites annually. CEO Mike Greenley emphasized the strategic importance of the move, noting that geopolitical pressures and global connectivity demands are driving rapid deployment of these systems. “This new high-volume manufacturing facility is a key part of our strategy to establish MDA Space as a leading prime contractor for satellite constellations,” he stated.
The building itself reflects modern environmental standards, incorporating LEED certification, solar power, a green roof, and rainwater collection systems. Canada’s federal and provincial governments took note: Industry Minister Mélanie Joly highlighted the facility as “one of the largest satellite manufacturing facilities in the world” and signalled its role in strengthening Canada’s economic sovereignty. Quebec’s Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Bernard Drainville, called it “excellent news” for the province’s aerospace sector and its workforce.
Lunar Outpost Secures $30 Million Series B, Drawing MDA Space into Lunar Surface Mission Consortium
Just as MDA Space takes the wraps off its manufacturing expansion, the company has also anchored itself in NASA’s next frontier: the lunar surface. Lunar Outpost, a Colorado-based developer of lunar mobility and infrastructure systems, closed a $30 million Series B funding round led by Industrious Ventures—with MDA Space among the consortium of investors. The funding was heavily oversubscribed, with investor appetite reaching $90 million, but Lunar Outpost capped the raise to manage equity dilution and maintain operational focus.
The capital will accelerate development of the company’s autonomous technologies, including the Starweave swarm software and Stargate command-and-control platform. More significantly for Canadians, MDA Space is serving as a consortium partner on the “Lunar Dawn” team, where it provides robotics and infrastructure expertise alongside Leidos, General Motors, and Goodyear. Together, they are developing a human-rated Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for NASA’s Artemis programme—a dual-use vehicle that NASA astronauts will operate for exploration and that Lunar Outpost can deploy commercially when not in use.
Lunar Outpost currently holds eight contracted lunar and cislunar missions before 2030, including U.S. Air Force R&D contracts and NASA Small Business Technology Transfer awards totalling over $5 million in federal funding. The company is also expanding its engineering footprint in Antwerp, Belgium, to access European Space Agency supply chains. For Canada, the partnership underscores the vital role of domestic expertise in the emerging commercial lunar economy—a space where innovation, manufacturing, and robotics converge.
Provider: SpaceX Date: May 12, 2026 Time: 11:16 PM UTC Vehicle: Falcon 9
34th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.
Cargo Dragon 2 brings supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support science and research investigations that occur onboard the orbiting laboratory.
Unknown Payload
Provider: LandSpace Date: May 14, 2026 Time: 3:00 AM UTC Vehicle: Zhuque-2E
Details TBD.
Unknown Payload
Provider: CAS Space Date: May 15, 2026 Time: 4:30 AM UTC Vehicle: Kinetica 1
Details TBD.
Starlink Group 17-37
Provider: SpaceX Date: May 15, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM UTC Vehicle: Falcon 9
A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 (x 9)
Provider: SpaceX Date: May 17, 2026 Time: 12:50 PM UTC Vehicle: Falcon 9
The Globalstar global mobile communications network offers global, digital real time voice, data and fax services via its Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation. The constellation operates in a 1410 km orbit inclined at 52 degrees.
In early 2022, Globalstar contracted with MDA for the construction of 17 new 2nd generation refresh satellites to replenish the existing constellation. Rocket Lab is sub-contracted to build the satellites’ buses and the launch dispensers.
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-34 ×
Mission Details
TypeResupply
OrbitLow Earth Orbit
TargetEarth
34th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.
Cargo Dragon 2 brings supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support science and research investigations that occur onboard the orbiting laboratory.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Government)
Program: Commercial Resupply Services
Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) are a series of flights awarded by NASA for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station.The first CRS contracts were signed in 2008 and awarded $1.6 billion to SpaceX for twelve cargo Dragon and $1.9 billion to Orbital Sciences for eight Cygnus flights, covering deliveries to 2016. The Falcon 9 and Antares rockets were also developed under the CRS program to deliver cargo spacecraft to the ISS.
The International Space Station programme is tied together by a complex set of legal, political and financial agreements between the sixteen nations involved in the project, governing ownership of the various components, rights to crewing and utilization, and responsibilities for crew rotation and resupply of the International Space Station. It was conceived in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, during the Space Station Freedom project as it was originally called.
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
The Falcon 9 first stage B1096 will land back at the launch site at Landing Zone 40 after its 6th flight.
Spacecraft: Cargo Dragon C209
Second Cargo Dragon 2
Specifications
SerialC209
TypeCapsule
StatusActive
DestinationISS
Height7.2 m
Diameter3.7 m
Maiden Flight2020-12-06
Payload Capacity6,000 kg
Return Capacity3,000 kg
Time in Space175 Days, 23 Hours, 36 Minutes
Missions Flown5
Turnaround352 Days, 17 Hours, 32 Minutes
Fastest Turnaround164 Days, 6 Hours, 38 Minutes
History
Cargo Dragon 2 is an updated version of the original Dragon spaceship designed to service the International Space Station with first flights conducted in 2020.
In contrast to Dragon 1 it docks to the International Space Station instead of being berthed by the Canada Arm.
Capability
Cargo Earth Orbit Logistics
Details
Cargo Dragon 2 is a autonomous spaceship capable of bringing science to and from the International Space Station with large pressurized and un-pressurized sections to support a variety of missions.
Flight Life
Able to fly for up to one week of free flight or two years docked.
Zhuque-2E (E stands for “enhanced”) is a medium-sized rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane capable of lifting 6,000 kg of payload into a 200 km low Earth orbit, or 4,000 kg of payload into a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit. It differs from the baseline Zhuque-2 in using enhanced TQ-12A engines…
Kinetica 1 (also known as Lijian-1, Chinese: 力箭一号) is a Chinese solid-propellant light launch vehicle. It is capable of placing about 2 tons into low earth orbit and 1.5 tons into sun-synchronous orbit. It is developed by CAS Space, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Kinetica 1 is a…
Specifications
Length30 m
Diameter2.65 m
Launch Mass135 t
Liftoff Thrust1,961 kN
LEO Capacity2,000 kg
SSO Capacity1,500 kg
ReusableNo
Maiden Flight2022-07-27
Launch Record
11 successful / 12 total launches
Current streak: 6 successful
Starlink Group 17-37 ×
Mission Details
TypeCommunications
OrbitLow Earth Orbit
TargetEarth
A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
The Falcon 9 first stage B1103 will land on ASDS OCISLY after its 2nd flight.
Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 (x 9) ×
Mission Details
TypeCommunications
OrbitLow Earth Orbit
TargetEarth
The Globalstar global mobile communications network offers global, digital real time voice, data and fax services via its Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation. The constellation operates in a 1410 km orbit inclined at 52 degrees.
In early 2022, Globalstar contracted with MDA for the construction of 17 new 2nd generation refresh satellites to replenish the existing constellation. Rocket Lab is sub-contracted to build the satellites’ buses and the launch dispensers.
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
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