MONTREAL, March 10, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) announced today that it has received an authorization to proceed from MacDonald Dettwiller & Associates (MDA) of Canada, for the system definition phase of the CASCADE information delivery payload for the CASSIOPE spacecraft. Terms of the contract were not disclosed; however this pre-start contract is expected to lead to the award of the full satellite payload contract, valued at over C$35 million.
The CASCADE information delivery system will be a "courier in the sky" system capable of uploading gigabytes of data to the satellite, storing the data on board and subsequently downloading the data as the satellite passes over a distant ground station. The MDA-led CASSIOPE mission was announced by the Canadian government on February 6, 2004. EMS expects to include COM DEV Space of Cambridge, Ontario in the development of the CASCADE payload.
"This contract represents the next important step in the development of commercial satellite payloads for our customers," said Alan L. Haase, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Space & Technology / Montreal. "MacDonald Dettwiller & Associates is one of our most important customers and we are very much looking forward to delivering an innovative payload to them."
About EMS Technologies, Inc.
EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) is a leading innovator in the design and manufacture of wireless, satellite and defense solutions, and focuses its unique range of advanced technologies on the needs of broadband and mobile information users. The Company is headquartered in Atlanta, employs approximately 1,700 people worldwide and has manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, Ottawa, Montreal and Brazil.
For more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com.
For more information on the CASSIOPE mission, visit MDA on the World Wide Web at www.mda.ca/news.