MDA Wants to Take RapidEye Concept to Next Level

摘要

With the successful deployment of the RapidEye remote-sensing satellite constellation under its belt, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) is now contemplating a new generation of higher-resolution small satellites that can be marketed as a low-cost alternative to larger and more expensive spacecraft. rnWade Larson, MDA's director of business development for space missions, said the company is moving ahead with taking the RapidEye constellation concept to the next level. That means a satellite constellation capable of half-meter resolution for a cost on the order of $100 million to $120 million. rn"That's where we're strategically focused," said Larson. "We're talking low cost, high performance systems, with a half of a meter [resolution] for a really unprecedented price point. That's what we think the market is demanding."