March 9, 2026 MDA Space says it is expanding satellite production and targeting more defence contracts as governments increase military spending and demand for space-based infrastructure rises. The Brampton, Ont.-based company plans to move from producing roughly one satellite per week to two per day as a new manufacturing facility in Montreal comes online.
The scale-up reflects rising global demand for satellite systems tied to security and Earth observation. “Countries want to be able to have increased Earth observation, to be able to monitor their sovereign territory,” CEO Mike Greenley said in an interview with BNN Bloomberg.
The company’s latest financial results point to strong momentum. MDA reported revenue and profitability up 50 per cent year over year in its fourth quarter and says it currently holds a backlog of roughly $4 billion in signed contracts. Greenley said the company has high visibility into revenue for the year ahead because most of that revenue is already tied to existing agreements.
“Our backlog levels are up seven times the level they were at when we went public five years ago,” Greenley said.
To support the increased production pace, MDA has expanded its workforce to about 4,000 employees and is bringing additional manufacturing capacity online. The company recently opened the Space Robotics Centre of Excellence in Brampton and is investing capital this year to install equipment at its expanded Montreal production facility.
The company is also positioning itself to capture more defence-related work in Canada and internationally. In December 2025, MDA signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Government of Canada and Telesat to develop military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) capabilities for Arctic operations.
Greenley said Canada’s defence spending plans are beginning to translate into tangible opportunities. “Canada is going through an expansion of its defence spending… it is actually starting to move,” he said.
Internationally, MDA recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Hanwha Systems of South Korea to support the development of the Korea Low Earth Orbit (K-LEO) defence constellation. The agreement is intended to open new export opportunities tied to Korean military satellite communications.
The company also continues to work closely with U.S. defence programs. Greenley said MDA recently secured a contract with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency connected to the Golden Dome program, and that all five major U.S. defence primes currently source satellite components manufactured by MDA in Montreal.
