Type Limited corporation Headquarters Cambridge, Canada Founded 1974 | Website COM DEV International Founder Val O'Donovan Parent organization Honeywell | |
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Industry Aerospace components
Telecommunications Key people Michael Pley, CEO (2010)
Gary Calhoun, CFO (2002)
Dr. Roberta Bondar, Board member (2008)
Terry Reidel, Chair
Michael Williams, COM DEV International Products Products Aerospace research and manufacturing
Space sciences
Telecommunication products Subsidiaries MESL Microwave, Pacific Wave Systems, Inc. | ||
COM DEV International is a satellite technology, space sciences and telecommunications company with headquarters in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. The company has branches and offices in Ottawa, the United States, the United Kingdom, China and India.
Contents
COM DEV develops and manufactures specialized satellite systems, including microwave systems, switches, optical systems, specialized satellite antennas, as well as components for the aviation and aerospace industry. The company produces custom equipment designs for commercial, military and civilian purposes, as well as providing contract research for the space sciences.
History
The company was founded in 1974 and specialized in microwave technology for the aviation and aerospace industry. COM DEV has gone on to become a leader in space satellite componentry and hardware, specializing in telecommunication systems, and has since become a global designer and builder of telecommunication components and systems for space satellites, as well as one of Canada’s largest sources of spacecraft instrumentation.
In 2001 its space products division opened an approximate $7M Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) development and manufacturing laboratory in its Cambridge facility.
In 2005 it purchased the EMS Technologies Space Science optical division in Ottawa, formerly CAL Corporation, from MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates for $5M.
In 2007 it purchased a Passive Microwave division in El Segundo California for $8.75M.
In 2010 it purchased Ottawa-based space instrument supplier Routes AstroEngineering for $1.7M.
In 2010 it established a subsidiary called exactEarth(TM) offering global ship tracking data services.
In 2015 it purchased MESL Microwave of Edinburgh, Scotland.
In 2015 it entered the waveguide market with the purchase of Pacific Wave Systems (PWS) of Garden Grove, California.
Products
Since the 1990s the company has manufactured components for satellites including:
Projects
The company has developed and built satellites assemblies or components for over 900 satellite missions, including:
Upcoming missions include:
Past projects have also included an Automatic Identification System (AIS) validation nanosatellite launched on an Antrix PSLV-C9 vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India in April 2008. The AIS experimental spacecraft was built under contract by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) Space Flight Laboratory (SFL), which also designated with the responsibility for its operation.
Research and development
The company provides research and development work in aeronautics and space technology. Many modules of the company are used in many well-known space probes and satellites. The company cooperates with major space agencies, including NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), JAXA, Indian Space Research Organisation and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).