Dave Knott writes "The Canadian federal government has blocked the $1.3-billion sale of the space technology division of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates to the Alliant Techsystems, a major U.S. defence contractor. Industry Minister Jim Prentice is quoted as saying he is "not satisfied" the sale will be a net benefit for Canada. MDA is Canada's leading developer of space-based technology, including the famous CanadArm and the recently installed space station robot Dextre. Quoting the article:
Critics of the sale, including former Canadian Space Agency head Marc Garneau, had called on Prentice to block the deal, saying it handed over taxpayer-funded technology and, in the case of Radarsat-2, gave away technology designed to protect Canada's sovereignty.
Alliant had said that if the deal went through, it would honour all of MDA's existing contracts with the Canadian government, including 'access protocols' to Radarsat-2 in the event of a national emergency.
Canada Blocks Sale of Space Tech Company to U.S. 0 Comments More Login /
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