COM DEV International Ltd. has unveiled plans to develop a micro-satellite platform – an initiative that represents a strategic expansion beyond the company's traditional role as an equipment, instrumentation and subsystem supplier, designed to take advantage of a trend towards smaller, more responsive satellites. The Cambridge On-based company will fund the program through a contribution of $7 million.

The platform will support a wide range of applications including surveillance, security, environmental monitoring, scientific analysis and communications. The design will meet all micro-satellite requirements as set out by the Canadian Space Agency. COM DEV's strategy is to create a single bus design that can be adapted to the needs of multiple missions.

"Micro-satellites offer cost-effective access to space, enabling a much broader range of applications which support Canada's national interests as well as the needs of the global community. With a renewed focus in Canada on the strategic significance of the space industry, we believe it is an opportune time to provide several federal departments with novel, space-based solutions," said John Keating, CEO of COM DEV. "From a corporate perspective, micro-satellites represent an attractive growth opportunity that takes advantage of our decades of space engineering expertise, while avoiding the territory of our existing customers who focus on much larger spacecraft."