spacetoday.net: Canada delays decision on MDA sale

Posted: Fri, Mar 21, 2008, 8:32 AM ET (1232 GMT)
The Canadian government on Thursday extended the deadline for its decision on approving the sale of the space unit of a Canadian company to an American firm. Industry Minister Jim Prentice had until Saturday to make a decision on MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates' (MDA) sale of its space business to American aerospace and defense contractor Alliant Techsystems (ATK), but on Thursday his office announced a 30-day extension of the review. No reason for the extension was announced by Industry Canada. MDA announced the $1.3-billion sale in January, and the company's shareholders recently overwhelmingly approved the sale. The deal has been criticized by some in Canada, however, who are concerned that the sale would hand over key segment of Canada's aerospace industrial base and technology to a foreign company. MDA makes the Canadarm manipulators used on the shuttle and ISS, as well as the recently-launched RADARSAT-2 radar imaging satellite.