Ottawa invests in rocket launches, satellites and military space roles

GATINEAU · Defence Minister David McGuinty announced new federal investments Wednesday to strengthen Canada's space and defence sectors, including funding for satellite technology and access to rocket launch sites. The government has signed a 10-year, $20-million agreement with NordSpace Corp. of Markham, Ont., to use its Atlantic Spaceport Complex in Newfoundland and Labrador. This follows a similar deal with Maritime Launch Services Inc. of Canso, N.S., announced in March. McGuinty said building sovereign launch capabilities lets Canada replace damaged systems "on our own terms and on our own timelines."

Ottawa has also allocated $17.9 million through its Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program to develop satellite communications for remote and Northern regions. A $4.7-million award has gone to Toronto's Kepler Communications Inc. for its Kepler Network project, a satellite constellation providing northern connectivity. The two-year contract will help Kepler develop laser-based communication links for faster, more reliable space networks. McGuinty cited the war in Ukraine, saying it "has demonstrated modern militaries' deep dependence on space" for connectivity, navigation and monitoring.

The Canadian Armed Forces are creating new specialized occupations to support these space capabilities. A Space Mission Operator role has been established, with the first training cohort of 25 members starting soon and public recruitment opening late next year. The forces are also working to set up a Space Warfare Officer occupation, though McGuinty did not detail the specific responsibilities. He said the lesson from current conflicts is that "Canada cannot afford to depend on capabilities that we can't access, that we can't protect, or that we can't replace when we need them most."

Over the past year, the government has signed more than $3 billion in contracts across four space priorities: monitoring and surveillance, space domain awareness, secure satellite communications, and sovereign space launch. Major deals include a $2.3-billion contract with Telesat Corp. for secure Arctic military connectivity and a $688-million contract with MDA Space Ltd. for a new northern surveillance radar satellite. Another initiative is the three-year, $105-million Launch the North program to help Canadian companies develop domestic rocket launch technology. McGuinty made the announcements at the SpaceBound conference in Gatineau, Que. He noted that while defence is often associated with traditional equipment, "increasingly, some of the most important capabilities we rely on are hundreds and hundreds of kilometres above our heads."

With files from The Globe and Mail