Product Manager – Platform, MDA Space
Sébastien Dame is a Product Manager for satellite platforms at MDA Space, where he leads the architecture and technical definition of large-scale, production-driven satellite systems. Since joining MDA in 2015 as a junior mechanical design engineer, he has advanced through progressively higher-impact roles spanning spacecraft integration, platform architecture, and product leadership. Today, he is responsible for the MDA AURORA™ satellite bus, a software-defined platform with approximately 250 flight sets under contract. His work has been central to MDA Space securing major LEO constellation programs, including Globalstar and Telesat Lightspeed, positioning the company at the forefront of competitive constellation manufacturing.
Sébastien’s technical foundation was formed through a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal. Early in his career at MDA Space, he distinguished himself through hands-on delivery, including serving as a spacecraft AI&T engineer on the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, where he contributed to the successful delivery of one of the three RCM spacecraft. That experience established his reputation for sound engineering judgment under mission-critical conditions.
He was subsequently appointed platform mechanical architect for MDA’s next-generation Earth observation satellite, CHORUS™, before moving into broader system leadership. As technical design authority and later product manager, Sébastien led the architecture of the AURORA™ platform, MDA Space’s software-defined satellite bus used for large LEO constellations”. In this role, he guided teams through Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews for large constellation customers, balancing performance requirements, cost constraints, and manufacturing scalability necessary to support production runs on the order of hundreds of satellites.
Beyond platform architecture, Sébastien has driven operational innovation across the organization. He designed and deployed MDA Space’s first internal knowledge management system to accelerate onboarding and improve cross-team collaboration, and led early adoption of robotic process automation across engineering, production, and finance, streamlining workflows and reducing manual effort across multiple departments.
Sébastien’s leadership style is described as collaborative, customer-focused, and quietly influential. He is known for fostering open communication, anticipating organizational needs, and empowering colleagues to succeed. Outside of his core role, he has actively supported workforce development through university recruiting, career fairs, and sustained involvement with Launch Canada, where he volunteered his time to help design judging criteria, establish safety guidelines, mentor student teams, and support the growth of Canada’s national university rocketry competition.
Across technical depth, product strategy, and community engagement, Sébastien Dame exemplifies a modern satellite leader building systems designed not only to fly, but to scale.
