Microsat Systems Canada Inc.

Microsat Systems Canada Inc. (MSCI) is a privately held Canadian corporation based in Mississauga, Ontario, that designs, builds and operates microsatellites and supplies spacecraft attitude-control components. The company applies dynamics and control technology in the space market, producing reaction wheels, rate measurement units and complete microsatellite platforms. It describes itself as the premiere choice for designing, building and operating innovative, adaptable and cost-effective microsatellites, and as a leading global supplier of MicroWheel reaction wheels. MSCI traces its corporate lineage to Dynacon Inc., whose space division it was before being formed as a separate company. The company states that it has been the premiere builder of microsatellites in Canada for over a decade and that its organization has a legacy of over twenty years of successful business, with origins in 1975. It serves military, civil space agencies and commercial markets, providing space technology that enables space exploration, Earth surveillance from space and other commercial services. MSCI's best-known programs are the Canadian Space Agency's MOST space telescope, for which it was selected as prime contractor and which launched on 30 June 2003, and NEOSSat, another CSA microsatellite for which MSCI was also prime contractor and which launched on 25 February 2013. The MSCI microsatellite design was chosen by the Canadian Space Agency as the baseline for its Multi Mission Microsatellite Bus (MMMB). MSCI also announced the COMMStellation project in January 2011, a proposed global satellite communications constellation of up to 78 micro-communications satellites. In addition to complete satellites, MSCI supplies reaction wheels and attitude-control solutions. Its MicroWheel reaction wheels have flown on missions including NASA's lunar mission, and the company won a reaction wheel contract for a commercial constellation in October 2010. MSCI has also worked with partners such as MDA on a microsatellite synthetic aperture radar payload. The company remains privately held and continues to operate from its Mississauga head office.

Microsat Systems Canada Inc. (MSCI) is a privately held Canadian corporation that emerged from the space division of Dynacon Inc. Its corporate legacy dates to 1975, when the business that became Dynacon was established. Over more than two decades, the organization built expertise in dynamics and control technology for space applications, and MSCI was formed as a new company from the former Dynacon Space Division. It describes itself as having been the premiere builder of microsatellites in Canada for over a decade. MSCI's breakthrough as a prime contractor came with the Canadian Space Agency's MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars) microsatellite, Canada's first space telescope. MSCI was selected as prime contractor, and MOST was successfully launched on 30 June 2003 from the Russian Plessetsk cosmodrome. The mission far exceeded expectations: the satellite remained in orbit four years longer than expected and continued to operate without indication of deterioration, producing a large volume of research. When the Canadian Space Agency could no longer fund MOST for financial reasons, MSCI took over operation of the telescope in October 2014. MSCI was also selected as prime contractor for NEOSSat, a second Canadian space telescope and microsatellite, which launched on 25 February 2013 aboard India's PSLV C20 rocket. The MSCI microsatellite design was chosen by the Canadian Space Agency as the baseline design for its Multi Mission Microsatellite Bus (MMMB), reinforcing the company's position in Canadian small-satellite development. Alongside complete satellites, MSCI built a components business around reaction wheels and attitude-control systems. In October 2010 it won a reaction wheel contract for a commercial constellation, and in November 2010 it launched the reactionwheel.ca website. Its MicroWheel reaction wheels were used by NASA for a lunar mission, reported in September 2013. In November 2010 MSCI also noted the successful launch of the United States Air Force STPSat-2, and in December 2010 it was described as North America's fastest growing independent microsatellite company. On 19 January 2011 MSCI announced COMMStellation, a proposed global satellite communications constellation of up to 78 micro-communications satellites intended to provide coverage even in the most extreme regions of the Earth where conventional methods are uneconomical or too costly. First satellite launches were planned for 2018. However, in 2015 Telesat applied for the frequency spectrum assigned to COMMStellation, which it obtained for its Telesat LEO project, effectively ending MSCI's constellation plan. MSCI continued to work on advanced payloads and mission recovery. In February 2018 it selected MDA to provide a Microsatellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (MSAR) payload, and in May 2018 a co-authored paper on NEOSSat recovery following magnetometer and torque rod failure was selected by SpaceOps 2018. In December 2018 NEOSSat was reported to have caught a nearby comet on the move. The company remains privately held and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.

• 2018

  MSCI selected MDA to provide a Microsatellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (MSAR) payload (February); a co-authored NEOSSat recovery paper was selected by SpaceOps 2018 (May).

• 2018

  NEOSSat caught a nearby comet on the move (December).

• 2015

  Telesat applied for and obtained the frequency spectrum assigned to COMMStellation for its Telesat LEO project.

• 2014

  MSCI took over operation of the MOST space telescope in October after the CSA ceased funding it.

• 2013

  NEOSSat, built by MSCI, launched on 25 February aboard PSLV C20.

• 2013

  NASA used MSCI reaction wheels for a lunar mission (September).

• 2011

  MSCI announced COMMStellation, a proposed global constellation of up to 78 micro-communications satellites (19 January).

• 2010

  MSCI won a reaction wheel contract for a commercial constellation (October) and launched reactionwheel.ca (November).

• 2010

  MSCI noted the successful launch of the United States Air Force STPSat-2 (November) and was described as North America's fastest growing independent microsatellite company (December).

• 2003

  MOST, Canada's first space telescope and an MSCI-built microsatellite, launched on 30 June from Plessetsk.

• 1975

  Origins of the business that became Dynacon Inc., from which MSCI's space division lineage descends.

Canada's leader in cost-effective, adaptable Multi Mission Microsatellite Buses and a leading global supplier of MicroWheel reaction wheels for military, civil space agency and commercial markets.

• MOST space telescope microsatellite

  Canada's first space telescope, built by MSCI as prime contractor and launched 30 June 2003; operated by MSCI from October 2014.

• NEOSSat microsatellite

  Canadian Space Agency microsatellite built by MSCI, launched 25 February 2013 aboard PSLV C20.

• MicroWheel reaction wheels

  Attitude-control reaction wheels supplied globally, used by NASA for a lunar mission.

• Multi Mission Microsatellite Bus (MMMB)

  MSCI's microsatellite design chosen by the Canadian Space Agency as the baseline for its MMMB.

• Rate measurement units

  Spacecraft dynamics and control components.

• Microsatellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (MSAR) payload

  Payload to be provided by MDA under a 2018 selection by MSCI.

1. 1Reaction Wheels - Microsatellites - MSCImscinc.ca
2. 2MSCI - Corporate Profilemscinc.ca
3. 3MSCI - Careersmscinc.ca
4. 4MSCI - Contactmscinc.ca
5. 5Microsat Systems Canada Inc. - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Microsat Systems Canada - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org