MDA SPACE CONTRACTED BY AIRBUS FOR REPEAT ORDER OF ANTENNAS FOR ONEWEB CONSTELLATION EXTENSION
Rhea-AI Summary
MDA (TSX: MDA) was selected by Airbus to design and build more than 880 Ka-band steerable antennas and 440 Ku-band user replacement antennas for the OneWeb LEO constellation extension announced April 20, 2026. Antennas will be built, assembled and tested in Montréal and integrated into Airbus Arrow satellites.
MDA previously supplied close to 2,000 antennas and cites delivery heritage across more than 350 satellite missions.
Positive
- Repeat commercial award for >880 Ka-band and 440 Ku-band antennas
- Production localized at MDA's high-volume Montréal facility
- Integration partnership with Airbus for Arrow telecommunications satellites
- Proven heritage across 350+ satellite missions and prior ~2,000-antenna order
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – MDA
In the Apr 20 session, MDA declined 2.30%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14 | Earnings call notice | Neutral | +3.3% | Announcement of Q1 2026 earnings call and AGM schedule. |
| Apr 13 | Product/platform launch | Positive | +2.4% | Unveiling of MDA MIDNIGHT space control platform for defence customers. |
| Mar 24 | Program update | Neutral | -10.4% | Market update on NASA Artemis changes and unchanged Canadarm3 contract. |
| Mar 20 | IPO over-allotment | Negative | -4.1% | Exercise of U.S. IPO over-allotment raising additional equity capital. |
| Mar 18 | Defence contract win | Positive | +5.6% | Award of ~$32M Canadian DND contract for space surveillance capability. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent news with new contracts or platforms (defence and space surveillance) tended to see positive price reactions, while a NASA-related market update saw a sharp negative move.
Over the last few months, MDA Space has combined strategic financing with contract momentum. A U.S. IPO over-allotment in March 2026 raised about US$341 million, followed by a $32 million Canadian defence contract that coincided with a 5.58% gain. Product and platform announcements such as MDA MIDNIGHT and an upcoming Q1 2026 earnings call also saw modest positive moves. The negative reaction to the NASA Artemis market update contrasts with generally constructive responses to contract-driven news, providing context for today’s OneWeb antenna award.
Key Terms
low earth orbit technical
ka-band technical
ku-band technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
With a heritage of delivering high-quality antenna systems for over 350 satellite missions, MDA Space leverages its expertise in high-volume production and capabilities as a leading supplier of innovative antenna systems to support the deployment of large-scale constellations like OneWeb. MDA Space antennas received a performance award from OneWeb for the original deployment.
"The selection of MDA Space for this repeat order underscores our company's reputation as a reliable partner in enabling advanced satellite communications and connectivity around the world," said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space. "With the growth of satellite constellations continuing to accelerate, MDA Space is ideally positioned to meet full constellation life cycles from the initiation to expansion to the replacement of satellites, antennas and subsystems."
Eutelsat awarded Airbus the contracts to build the OneWeb constellation extension in December 2024 and December 2025, for 100 and 340 satellites respectively. The antennas from MDA Space will be built, assembled and tested at the company's state-of-the-art high-volume satellite production facility in
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the company's current expectations regarding future events. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the ultimate manufacturing, assembly and testing of the antennas and the integration of the antennas in the satellites being manufactured by Airbus. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by MDA Space in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate, and are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of MDA Space to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including without limitation the risks and uncertainties detailed under the "Risk Factors" section of MDA Space's annual information form dated March 4, 2026.
Although MDA Space believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect and there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with the forward-looking statements. There are a number of additional risks and uncertainties affecting or that could affect MDA Space, which could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those described in, expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information included within this press release. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, MDA Space is not under any obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
ABOUT MDA SPACE
Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space (TSX: MDA) (NYSE: MDA) is a trusted mission partner to the global defence and space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure. The global MDA Space team of more than 4,000 space experts has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission—bringing to bear a one-of-a-kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide-eyed wonder that's been in our DNA since day one. For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we'll take you there. For more information, visit mda.space.
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SOURCE MDA Space