Neptec's Iain Christie (Darren Brown, OBJ)

Ottawa's Neptec Design Group will be doing double duty on the upcoming flight of the space shuttle Atlantis.

Neptec's laser camera system, which has been used on NASA's two most recent missions, will once again scan critical areas of the shuttle's exterior to ensure no damage occurred to the vehicle's thermal tiles on takeoff. Also onboard will be Neptec's space vision system, now known as the Orbiter SVS or OSVS. It will be used during the shuttle's main mission – resuming construction of the International Space Station.

The flight will focus on attaching a new segment to the space station, extending the structure by 45 feet. Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean will use both the Canadarm2 and the OSVS to maneuver and attach the segment, which is the size of a city bus, to the space station.

"The laser camera and OSVS have proven to be integral in the success of NASA's flights and with the precision of Neptec's technology the assembly operations are easier and the flights safer," says Mr. MacLean.

"With the successful completion of the last two test flights, Neptec is looking forward to continuing its role with the building of the International Space Station and future space initiatives," says Iain Christie, vice-president of research and development. "Our work with NASA has given us the opportunity to demonstrate the excellence of Canadian technology on an international level."

Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sunday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in

Cape Canaveral, Fl.