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Astronaut Roberta Bondar stands beside a stamp featuring her likeness at the John H. Chapman Space Centre in St-Hubert, Que., on Friday, Sept. 26, 2003.Andre Pichette/The Canadian Press

Former astronaut Roberta Bondar has been appointed to the board of Com Dev International Ltd. , the space equipment developer and manufacturer announced Tuesday.

"We are very pleased to welcome Roberta to our board," board chairman Terry Reidel said Tuesday.

"Her experience in the space industry and in high-level research will add valuable perspective and strategic insight as we pursue our long-term growth strategy."

Ms. Bondar's career as a researcher in neurology led to her selection in 1983 as one of the original six astronauts for the Canadian space program.

After many years of training, she participated as a payload specialist flying aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1992, becoming the first Canadian woman to go into space.

She spent eight days in space, conducting numerous experiments and photographing the Earth's surface as part of the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission.

After that, she headed an international space medicine team working for many years with NASA.

Com Dev is a leading global provider of space hardware and services with facilities in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its majority-owned subsidiary, exactEarth Ltd., provides satellite data services.

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