News from the Canadian space industry - 2019

2019-11-28

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) took part in the Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) on November 27–28, 2019, in Seville, Spain. This high-level meeting is held every two to three years to make important decisions regarding Europe's future space activities. Canada is the only non-European cooperating state of ESA.

Following broad consultations with Canada's space sector, the CSA is investing approximately $90 million (€56.65 million) in the ESA programmes that have been strategically selected as areas most likely to benefit Canadian industry: Earth observation, satellite communications, exploration and technology development. These investments are aligned with the Space Strategy for Canada. Past investments in ESA have resulted in opportunities for Canadian companies worth almost three times the value of the initial contract.

Canada and ESA have been cooperating in space activities for over 40 years in order to provide Canadian organizations with access to European markets, and to foster collaboration in science. The partnership also provides Canada's space sector with access to data from ESA missions and infrastructure. In June 2019, Canada renewed its treaty-level agreement with ESA until 2030.

2019-09-03

The Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) is generating significant interest within Canada's space community. After probing Canadian businesses and academic institutions for ideas, the CSA received 164 applications, demonstrating the vitality of Canada's space program and its eagerness for lunar exploration.

2019-06-12

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will be participating in the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) ASTRO 2019 conference in Laval, Quebec, on June 17-19. CASI ASTRO conferences offer opportunities for delegates from industry, academia and government to meet and network with space sector actors from Canada and around the world. The CSA will give presentations on its programs and initiatives to support space innovation in Canada.

2019-04-15

From March 18 to 22, 2019, the President of the Canadian Space Agency, Sylvain Laporte, led a Canadian industry delegation to the Global Space Congress in the United Arab Emirates. The delegates, from 14 space sector companies across Canada, met with senior officials from the UAE Space Agency and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre to explore business and government collaborative opportunities.

2019-04-15

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded funding worth $700,000 to a Canadian firm and two universities for projects that will enable Canadian firms to advance key technologies and develop their own potential, while offering training opportunities and hands-on experience for students and young professionals.

These projects will be part of the CSA's Lunar Exploration Analogue Deployment (LEAD), which will position Canada for potential future contributions to lunar rover missions.

Grants awarded under the Flights and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST) - LEAD Announcement of Opportunity

Organization	City	Province	Project	Grant value
University of Western Ontario	London	Ontario	CanLunar - A Canadian Lunar Sample Return Analogue Mission	$135,275
University of Winnipeg	Winnipeg	Manitoba	Exploring Geological Variations and ISRU Potential at the Lanzarote Lunar Analogue Site	$162,500
University of Western Ontario	London	Ontario	Field Deployment of in situ Learning Algorithms for Classifying Planetary Materials	$153,670
Total				$451,445

Contribution awarded under the Space Technology Development Program - LEAD Announcement of Opportunity

Organization	City	Province	Project	Contribution value
Canadensys Aerospace Corporation	Bolton	Ontario	LEAD Capability Demonstration	$249,963

2019-04-10

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is working with its partners from around the world to define options and opportunities for collaboration in the future of human space exploration beyond the International Space Station (ISS).

As astronaut crews travel to more distant destinations, they will need systems and technologies designed to help provide medical care with less reliance on Earth.

My experience has taught me that whenever we venture to a different place in space, we can expect a new medical problem to arise. As we leave low Earth orbit and venture on to these deeper space destinations, we must create medical care systems that make the astronauts more autonomous for delivering their own care.

Building on a legacy of Canadian health research in space, and capitalizing on Canada's strengths in clinical research and digital technologies on Earth, the CSA aims to:

• identify opportunities where space and health partners could work together;
• create deep-space health care solutions that can improve the quality of life for Canadians here on Earth; and
• contribute to Canada's economic growth.

The CSA recently awarded 13 contracts to the Canadian health and biomedical communities to assess relevant and current technological capabilities, some of which may be enabled by artificial intelligence. These technologies include decision support systems, diagnostics tools, radiation protection, and medical training and simulation.

These contracts emerge from Expert Group consultations, the Space Health Information Sessions, and the recommendations listed in the Summary Report (PDF, 244 KB) of the National Forum on Space, Health and Innovation that took place at CSA headquarters in 2017.

2019-01-14

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and the Ontario Center of Excellence (OCE) are organizing a 1-day inaugural InvestmentSpace 2019 event. It will take place on Friday, February 22, 2019 in the heart of Toronto's financial district.

InvestmentSpace 2019 will bring together venture capital investors, aspiring Canadian space entrepreneurs and start-up companies looking for pre-seed (under $500,000) or seed funding (under $5 million), as well as business accelerators and incubators focused on space start-ups. The event will feature panel discussions by successful space entrepreneurs and investors as well as a session for start-up companies to showcase and pitch their business ideas. An online platform will be provided to book your B2B meetings prior to the event.

Participation in the event is free. However, please note that you are responsible for all travel costs associated with your attendance.

Download the program of the event (PDF, 135 KB)

Please note that registration into the event is now closed.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event!