@Rick (USA Rah!)
Radarsat-2 is top of the line kit (read: US has nothing that does the same), capable of peering through clouds with a 3m resolution. As arctic ice recedes, Canada's northern/arctic territory is more and more valuable (shipping lanes/oil&gas exploration). The US has certainly, repeatedly, created laws that contravene Canadian laws. If they owned the Satellite, it would be simple for them to pass an emergency law banning Canadian access if relations get tight.
I also applaud the CDN gvt for this, especially in light of the taxpayer's money that funded the project
sidenote: two of the top engineers in MDA quit when the deal was first announced - I wonder if they want their jobs back :)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
