Czechoslovak Group (CSG) is an arms and engineering group headquartered in Prague, owned by the entrepreneur Michal Strnad [1]. It operates production plants in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Serbia and India [1]. It employs more than 14,000 people and reported revenue of €6.7 billion, approximately CZK 162 billion, for 2025 [1][4]. CSG shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Amsterdam and Prague [1].

Entry into the space industry

On 13 October 2026, CSG announced that it had acquired a 9.5 percent stake in the Canadian company MDA Space, a manufacturer of space technologies, becoming its largest shareholder [1]. CSG holds the MDA Space shares through a subsidiary established for this purpose [1]. The holding company did not disclose the value of the transaction [1]. MDA Space shares are traded on the stock exchanges in New York and Toronto [1].

MDA Space manufactures communication satellites and satellite observation instruments, with customers including companies, organizations and governments [1]. According to the server Info.cz, over its more than 55-year existence the company has taken part in more than 450 space missions and employs more than 4,000 specialists [4].

CSG has also assembled a team of experts tasked with ensuring the long-term development of its activities in the space industry [1]. The group estimates that the global space economy will triple by 2035, reaching a value of $1.8 trillion, or roughly CZK 39.2 trillion [1]. According to Info.cz, global government spending on defense activities in space reached approximately $74 billion last year [4].

CSG's owner and CEO Michal Strnad said of the acquisition on LinkedIn: „Space has become an integral part of security. Communications, intelligence activities and decision-making increasingly depend on it, and over time more and more defense applications will move into it. If we want to be a global defense and technology group, we must have a presence in space.“ [1] According to Strnad, the investment in MDA Space could lead to joint development of both companies, for example through investment in production capacity in Europe, cooperation on strategic acquisitions, or the use of CSG's business contacts to support MDA Space's international expansion [1]. MDA Space CEO Mike Greenley welcomed the investment, saying: „We welcome CSG's investment in MDA Space and its role as our strategic investor.“ [4]

Previous investments in space technologies

CSG had previously, through its venture capital fund Tech Horizons, acquired minority stakes in the British company SatVu, which provides Earth observation data from space, and in the German company Atmos Space Cargo, which provides space logistics and technologies for returning cargo from missions in low Earth orbit [1].

Chronology

  • — Czechoslovak Group (CSG), the arms and engineering group owned by entrepreneur Michal Strnad, acquired a 9.5 percent stake in the Canadian space technology manufacturer MDA Space, becoming its largest shareholder. → Czech News Agency / České noviny iDNES.cz

Sources

  1. ČTK / České noviny — 13 October 2026
  2. Hospodářské noviny — 13 October 2026
  3. Deník.cz — 13 October 2026
  4. Info.cz — 13 October 2026