Thales-Alenia to buy Maxar division?
July 5, 2019
By Chris Forrester
An important consolidation in the satellite industry could be on the cards. Reuters reports that Italian aerospace company Leonardo SpA along with French satellite builder Thales are contemplating bidding for the MDA division of Maxar Technologies.
The former MacDonald, Dettwiler & Assoc. division is best known for its in-orbit robotics and in particular its ‘Canadarm’ remote crane used on the International Space Station.
Leonardo’s CEO Allessandro Profumo confirmed that there was an interest in buying MDA along with his Thales partner. “For us, they have a very good technology in the antennas for satellites, so it is an option we are considering,” he said of MDA.
Thales Alenia is 67 per cent owned by Thales and 33 per cent by Leonardo.