Toronto : Canadian aerospace company MDA is providing satellite imagery to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion.
The Ontario-based company, in a statement said that the Canadian government has granted MDA permission to collect satellite imagery of restricted areas of Ukraine using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Space.com reported.
“Images captured by MDA’s SAR technology, which is unique for its ability to see through all weather and cloud conditions, will be merged and analysed with other sources of imagery from commercial Earth observation companies to develop comprehensive near-real-time intelligence reports for Ukrainian government officials,” MDA CEO Mike Greenley said in the statement.
“We’re honoured that we are able to use our radar satellite capabilities to contribute to these international efforts, and will continue doing everything in our power to help the government of Ukraine protect its citizens,” he added.
MDA’s radar capabilities are considerable. For example, the company built Radarsat-2, which has been circling our planet since December 2007, as well as the three-spacecraft Radarsat Constellation, which launched to Earth orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in June 2019, the report said.
Greenley’s statement didn’t specify which other companies’ imagery MDA will look at. Other possibilities include SAR images of Ukraine by Colorado-based Capella Space.
Spacecraft operated by Maxar Technologies, Planet and BlackSky have been snapping photos of the invasion and its effects in optical light. For example, Maxar recently released a series of shots that showed heavy damage to grocery stores, houses and other civilian buildings in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the report said.
–IANS