A Crucial Micro Step For COM DEV Int’l

COM DEV International Ltd. (TSX: CDV) has announced they have formally commenced a $7M internally funded program to develop an advanced micro-satellite platform and associated micro-sat mission capability. This initiative represents a strategic expansion beyond the their traditional role as an equipment, instrumentation, and subsystem supplier. The decision is designed to take advantage of a trend towards smaller, more responsive, satellites. COM DEV will develop a capability to design and manufacture a class of micro-satellites that can be used to satisfy a range of emerging national and international requirements in a highly cost-effective manner. The spacecraft platform will support a range of applications including surveillance, security, environmental monitoring, scientific analysis, and communications.The design will meet all micro-satellite requirements set out by the Canadian Space Agency, and exceed them in the areas of power generation and data downlink capacity. COM DEV’s strategy is to create a single bus design that can be tailored to the needs of multiple missions.


Micro-satellites represent an emerging opportunity made possible by the ongoing miniaturization of key spacecraft components, and a performance oriented approach to spacecraft design and testing. At 150 kilograms or less, they are a fraction of the size of traditional geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, and can be built and launched relatively quickly and cost effectively. As a result, micro-satellites can now be employed from low Earth orbit (LEO) to satisfy a range of emerging, niche applications. COM DEV is currently engaged in a number of activities with various customer groups on a global basis to demonstrate the utility that can be achieved through the use of micro-satellite-based technologies—Cambridge, Ontario