Ottawa, ON – July 10, 2026 – MDA Space has entered into a firm and irrevocable offer to acquire a majority interest in Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS), a French Earth observation and satellite IoT company, in a deal that would make the Ontario-headquartered space company one of the largest space-based geointelligence businesses in the world.

A $920-Million Deal to Vertically Integrate Earth Observation

Under the agreement announced July 8, MDA Space would acquire an approximately 70 per cent interest in CLS from the shareholders of its parent company for approximately €567 million (C$920 million) in cash, subject to adjustments. The Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, would retain the remaining approximately 30 per cent interest.

Founded in 1986 as a CNES subsidiary, CLS employs about 1,200 people at 40 sites in 19 countries and serves more than 14,000 customers in roughly 150 countries. The company is expected to generate approximately €286 million (C$465 million) in revenue in 2026, an average annual growth rate of 22 per cent since 2023.

The acquisition follows MDA Space’s previously announced deal to acquire Colorado-based Blue Canyon Technologies. Together, the two deals are expected to double MDA Space’s recurring revenue stream, while adding more than 100 sales staff to accelerate global distribution of MDA CHORUS™, the company’s Earth observation platform.

Building a Vertically Integrated Geointelligence Business

The transaction pairs MDA Space’s upstream satellites, ground stations and space observation assets with CLS’s downstream AI-driven analytics, connectivity solutions and proprietary algorithms, spanning markets from sustainable fisheries management and environmental monitoring to maritime surveillance and infrastructure.

The deal is subject to French regulatory and employee-consultation requirements and is expected to close by the end of 2026 or in early 2027.

Quotes

“Our goal is for MDA Space to provide global government and commercial customers with the broadest and richest offering of multi-sensor Earth and space observation data, products, and services on the market. Bringing together MDA Space and CLS is a unique opportunity to create a growing, profitable, highly competitive and vertically integrated geospatial services business with industry leading capabilities and go-to-market channels to address demand globally and accelerate growth for both businesses. Equally important, it preserves critical sovereign capabilities and capacity in France and Canada.”

Mike Greenley, Chief Executive Officer, MDA Space

“For more than 40 years, CLS has been harnessing space technologies, data and innovation to help better understand our planet and support its sustainable management. Joining forces with MDA Space represents a unique opportunity to accelerate our development, expand the global reach of our solutions and strengthen our innovation capabilities. We are confident that this new chapter will create value for our customers, employees and partners, while preserving what makes CLS unique: its mission-driven culture, deep expertise and longstanding commitment to delivering solutions that support a more sustainable and resilient world.”

Stéphanie Limouzin, Chief Executive Officer, CLS

Read the full announcement here.

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A Growing Moment for Canadian Defence Technology

MDA Space’s move to acquire CLS, its second major acquisition in a matter of weeks, reinforces the depth of Canada’s space and geointelligence sector at a time when the federal government is scaling defence spending toward five per cent of GDP by 2035. It is exactly the kind of dual-use, globally competitive innovation that Ottawa-Gatineau’s Defence Innovation Hub is working to grow, alongside the region’s 330-plus defence and security companies and its cluster of NATO DIANA test centres, the only one of its kind in Canada.

Learn more about Invest Ottawa’s Defence Innovation Hub at investottawa.ca/dihub.