BRAMPTON - MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., a provider of essential information solutions, announced that when the space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Kennedy Space Center this afternoon, robotic technology development by MDA will play a central role in the safety and success of this final and historic servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

The mission builds on nearly three decades of MDA's orbital flight servicing heritage in support of NASA's and the Canadian Space Agency's human spaceflight and space exploration endeavours.

Over the 11-day mission, MDA's robotics will be used extensively to extend Hubble's life and scientific discoveries into the next decade and ensure the safety of Atlantis' crew.

With safety paramount to the success of the mission, the first task for MDA's Canadarm and Inspection boom will be to perform a detailed inspection of the orbiter's thermal protection system and crew cabin to ensure no damage occurred during launch.

Following the inspection, Atlantis will rendezvous within 35 feet of the telescope and Canadarm will reach out, grapple telescope and berth it in the shuttle's cargo bay.

With the aid of Canadarm, a series of five spacewalks will be performed to upgrade and expand the capabilities of the orbiting observatory. When the servicing tasks are complete, Canadarm will be used to unberth the telescope sending Hubble off to explore the universe.

At the conclusion of the mission, a final robotic task will be conducted to inspect the orbiters thermal protection system, including its wing leading edge panels, nose cap and underside tiles. In the unlikely event of damage from debris at launch or space debris that would compromise the safe return of Atlantis and its crew, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is poised for launch with MDA's robotic systems onboard to assist in the rescue.

This mission underscores the continuing needs for human and robotic collaboration for space science and exploration.

About MDA MDA provides advanced information solutions that capture and process vast amounts of data, produce essential information, and improve the decision making and operational performance of business and government organizations worldwide.

Focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential, MDA delivers a broad spectrum of information solutions, ranging from complex operational systems, to tailored information services, to electronic information products.

MDA employs more than 3,200 people in locations across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.