Posted: Thu, Jan 6, 2005, 9:08 AM ET (1408 GMT)
Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) announced Wednesday that it has won a NASA contract to help plan a possible robotic repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. The US$154 million contract will have MDA "provide a potential information and robotic servicing solution" for Hubble. MDA's MD Robotics subsidiary had built robotic manipulators for the shuttle and ISS, and is also involved with two US military satellite programs. NASA officials have previously said that they are still evaluating the prospects of a robotic repair mission and will make a decision this year whether to proceed with the mission. The robotic repair option has been criticized by some who feel it is too expensive and technologically challenging. A report issued last month by a National Academies panel concluded that restoring a shuttle servicing mission, cancelled by NASA a year ago, is the best option for repairing the aging observatory.

Related Links:

•  Reuters article
•  Vancouver Sun article
•  MDA press release
•  CSA press release (via Canada NewsWire)