MDA UK builds space-qualified LIDARs, IR cameras, communications payloads, and other intelligent sensors for Space applications.

In other words…

– We allow the ground to communicate with spacecraft
– We help spacecraft find each other in space
– We help spacecraft safely land on celestial bodies they might find in space
– If something manages to land on a celestial body, we help it navigate without falling into a ditch
– We also help spacecraft observe the earth

The technology being developed at MDA UK has applications across many aspects of space exploration, from bases on the Moon and Mars to observing forest fires on Earth. We’ll be bringing an engineering model of our Space Infra-Red Camera to the festival. Come and enjoy the opportunity to be photographed by this camera and see how the heat generated by objects can be used to generate useful images for activities such as spacecraft docking and repairing satellites in space. We’ll also be bringing along a model of our LEIA sensor, LIDAR for extra-terrestrial Imaging Applications, which will be used to land on the South Pole of the Moon in 2023, and our rover prototype, developed to demonstrate fusion of data from the MDA sensors allowing autonomous navigation. Some of our engineers will be on hand to answer questions.