2023-24 Departmental Plan

Result 1 — Canada remains a leading spacefaring nation

Through its leadership in space exploration, its investments in R&D, its STEM educational opportunities, as well as its support of Canadian expertise, the CSA is committed to upholding Canada's position as a leading spacefaring nation and will continue to deliver the benefits of space to Canadians.

In 2023–24, Canadarm3 design work is progressing. The development of Canadarm3 will drive innovation in emerging technologies in Canada through the application of the Industrial Technological Benefits Policy. This highly autonomous robotic system will build upon the heritage of its predecessors and use a state-of-the-art software to perform tasks around the Moon, without human intervention. In the meantime, the CSA will continue to operate its robotic arm, Canadarm2, on the International Space Station (ISS).

The contribution of Canadarm3 to the Lunar Gateway has earned Canada a range of opportunities for lunar science, technology demonstration and commercial activities, as well as the opportunity to fly two astronauts around the Moon, one onboard the Artemis II mission, the first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972, and one on the Gateway. To prepare the Canadian astronaut and their family for Canada's first crewed mission, Artemis II's preliminary planning is expected to be completed in 2023–24, which involves coordinating the training, medical support, and logistics activities with other crew members, so that the selected Canadian astronaut can safely and successfully participate in the mission.

Canada's contribution to the Gateway also provides a generational opportunity to capture the hearts and minds of young Canadians and encourage them to pursue education in STEM fields. To help leverage this opportunity, the CSA will support teachers and educators through Objective: Moon's curriculum-linked online resources, activities and speaker events. Grants and contributions (G&Cs) will also be awarded to support innovative ideas from post-secondary institutions, schools and not-for-profit organizations for the development and delivery of STEM awareness activities focused on lunar exploration topics.

Scheduled to launch between 2024 and 2025, the CAN4 mission will be Canada's fourth long‑duration mission of a Canadian astronaut on the ISS. Project planning and requirements will occur in 2023–24 to support the Canadian astronaut and science missions.

Since the successful commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope in July 2022, extraordinary images of the cosmos have been released. Canadian astronomers will continue to receive the CSA's support to explore the depths of the universe, such as the teams using the Canadian Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectograph (NIRISS) instrument to study the atmosphere of exoplanets and the formation of the very first galaxies. In 2023–⁠24, new science projects will be selected and receive the CSA's financial support to use the guaranteed observation time that was secured thanks to Canada's contributions to the most powerful space telescope ever built.

Through its partnerships, the CSA enables Canadian scientists to contribute to world-class science by supporting their participation in numerous international missions. Future research opportunities on the science and technology platform of the Gateway will be made available primarily through the new Research Opportunities in Space Science (ROSS) initiative. Created in 2022–23, ROSS combines numerous CSA funding initiatives into a single, harmonized program for the scientific community.

Scientists selected in international missions will also receive the CSA's financial support: those participating to NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will keep searching for the red planet's ancient signs of life along with the Curiosity rover and the Canadian instrument Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard, which will continue to deliver its sample analysis during the mission's fourth extension. Astronomers selected to study the violent birth and death of stars and galaxies on Japan's X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy mission (XRISM) will continue to benefit from the CSA's commitment to science, which plays a vital role in ensuring Canada remains a leading spacefaring nation.

The meteorological conditions of space, such as the level of radiation emitted by the Sun or coming from outside of the solar system, are one of the main health hazards during spaceflights and can cause catastrophic loss of critical satellites and impact human lives in significant ways. With its proximity to the magnetic North Pole, Canada has a privileged viewpoint from which to observe space weather. The CSA will continue to help Canadian universities and other government organizations in developing Canada's capacity to mitigate the impacts of space weather and broaden the transcontinental network for observing space. Collaborative projects such as RADICALS will observe how radiation is transported in space and how it affects climate on Earth, while the Geospace Observatory (GO) Canada initiatives will continue to develop measurement instruments, combining both ground and space data to monitor the magnetic disturbances, radio waves or by observing space weather's most grandiose manifestation, the auroras.

Research on satellites, space debris and asteroids orbiting the Earth as well as exoplanets will continue through the ongoing operations of the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat) and through the CSA's support for its observation program. Advanced analyses and collision avoidance strategies will continue to be provided for Canada's satellites and those of its international partners through the use of the space debris Conjunction Risk Assessment and Mitigation System (CRAMS), a key tool for maintaining space situational awareness in support of satellite operations and the sustainability of the space environment. Also contributing to Canadians' security and cybersecurity is the capability demonstration mission Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) that will demonstrate quantum key distribution in space.

Since 2018, the Canadian CubeSat Project has provided post-secondary institutions with the opportunity to design, build, launch and operate their own miniature satellite, a CubeSat. While continuing to support the remaining projects under the CubeSat Project in 2023–24, the CSA will start implementing the successor initiative: CUBICS. It will introduce two streams where students will be able to engage in real space missions while focusing on their interests, as well as their particular expertise and readiness. Under the first stream, participants will develop scientific instruments and experiments that can be used on the CubeSats. The second stream will provide the selected teams the opportunity to develop their own satellite. CUBICS will not only provide the Canadian academic community with significant opportunities to advance science and technologies but will also contribute to developing the expertise of the academic community and consolidate Canada's critical mass of highly qualified personnel.

Before a technology can be integrated into a system, it needs to be tested and validated numerous times, from conception to evaluation in a real-life setting. Initiatives such as the CSA's 2023–24 stratospheric balloon campaign STRATOS, a decade-long collaboration with France's Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), will continue to provide the next generation of Canadian innovators with the opportunity to test and validate novel technologies and to perform scientific experiments in a near-space environment. Through multiple investments, the CSA will continue analyzing options for future development of the High-altitude Aerosols, Water vapour and Clouds (HAWC) by reducing technological risks and elaborating the Canadian contribution to the NASA-led Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) mission. The AOS will provide unprecedented observations for weather monitoring, and improve the capacity to predict long-term climatic conditions and air quality. Foreseen as a Canadian-led mission implemented with international partners, the CSA and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) will oversee the execution of different contracts related to the AOS mission design, scientific studies and anticipated socio-economic impacts in 2023–24.

Collected in 2020 by the OSIRIS‑REx spacecraft, the samples from Bennu's surface, a carbon-rich near-Earth asteroid, will land in Utah's desert in fall 2023. Marking Canada's first participation in an asteroid-sample return mission, the CSA contributed the OSIRIS‑REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) instrument, enabling sample collection with the most-detailed 3D map of a celestial object ever made. As Canada will receive a portion of the asteroid material, engineers and curation specialists will adapt the CSA's laboratories, so that the outer space fragments can be studied by Canadian scientists under optimal conditions for conservation and contamination prevention.

Canada's SCISAT satellite will celebrate 20 years of operations in 2023–24, resulting in long-term datasets used to assess and improve our understanding of ozone depletion and recovery, ozone-depleting substances and the impact of greenhouse gases (GHG) on Earth's climate. A new dataset is anticipated to be released and additional hydrofluorocarbon (compounds primarily used in air conditioning and refrigeration) data products will be developed. Since it was launched in 2003, SCISAT data has been used by over 1,600 researchers from 347 institutions in 36 countries. The CSA's continued commitment to SCISAT in 2023–24, as well as the numerous other opportunities it provides for scientific research, will help strengthen the research network for Canadian science and ensure it remains on the forefront of the international stage.

Result 2 — Space information and technologies improve the lives of Canadians

Since the Alouette I launch in 1962, Canadian satellites have provided information that is integral to our daily lives and essential for evidence-based decision-making. As our capacity to monitor the planet and use of the data has increased, Canada invested in Earth Observation (EO) capabilities and in technologies that harness the synergy between space and Earth. This has enabled the country to build a world-class expertise. Industry, researchers and governments develop and deliver solutions not only for deep space exploration, but also for a myriad of terrestrial challenges, such as food security, healthcare delivery, weather forecasts, cultural preservation, water and air quality, national defence, wildfires and emergency responses.

In support of Canada's Satellite Earth Observation (SEO) Strategy, the CSA will further enhance its collaboration and consultation with the national and international EO community.

The CSA will continue implementing the SEO Strategy with ECCC and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). The CSA will play a significant role in coordinating a whole-of-government approach by developing sustained relationships with over 17 departments, allowing for an agile adaptation of EO priorities and optimal coordination of government needs. The WildFireSat mission will be the first satellite mission specifically designed to monitor wildfires over Canada. Operating for five years and possibly more, it will give fire managers the ability to predict fire behaviour and assess the greatest threats. WildFireSat will also improve our ability to protect Canadian communities and provide more accurate information on the smoke coming from wildfires, thus improving forecasts on air quality conditions. To ensure best value and rapid deployment of this capability, the CSA will employ agile competitive procurement methods issuing up to four contracts to companies for solutions meeting requirements within a firm-fixed price.

Launched in December 2022, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) will provide new and detailed information on one of the most important resources we share — water. Led by NASA and France's space agency CNES, SWOT will survey 90% of Earth's surface water, observe the fine details of the ocean's surface topography, and measure how lakes, rivers, reservoirs and oceans are changing over time. The CSA accepted NASA's invitation to participate in the SWOT mission by providing a key component of the wide-swath radar instrument — a set of extended interaction klystrons (EIKs). The EIKs will amplify the power needed by the wide-swath instrument to generate the microwave pulses that will be used to measure water surface elevation. The CSA will work with other Canadian government organizations in 2023–24 to calibrate and validate SWOT's in situ observations over multiple sites across Canada.

Without proper information on the impact that a disaster such as an earthquake, a flood or an oil spill has on affected areas, relief efforts can be undermined, leaving local populations in an even more vulnerable situation. Emergency response teams benefit significantly from the unique perspective of satellite data to save lives, protect natural resources and prevent costly damage to essential infrastructure. In 2023–24, Canada's expertise in EO and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data processing will continue to be put at the service of disaster management and relief efforts through the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" by responding to calls for help from all over the globe with data from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) and RADARSAT‑2. In October 2023, the CSA will assume the role of the Charter Leading Agency for six months, together with the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

Open, unrestricted and universal access to EO data is essential for finding innovative solutions to local and global challenges that are adapted to the needs of communities, academia, industry and governments. While continuing to operate RCM, the CSA will pursue its work with government departments, regulatory organizations and user communities to increase RCM data access, to augment RCM data services and to maintain the support for existing services to Canadians. Greater access to this data will allow more value-added companies to develop applications and services for Canadians, fostering research and discoveries from academic institutions and strengthening international collaboration.

Taking full advantage of the 15 years of RADARSAT‑2 archived data — which reached the milestone of one million images in September 2022 — the CSA will continue to support government departments by providing RADARSAT data access and processing services.

As climate change continues to be an increasingly pressing issue, the CSA is making an unprecedented number of RADARSAT‑1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of Earth freely available to researchers, industry and the public. In line with the Open Government Directive, the CSA will continue to repatriate long-time series of RADARSAT‑1 data archived on foreign servers and develop a multi-year solution to process the data, to be shared freely with the public through the Earth Observation Data Management System. Beyond its contribution to the CSA's digital transformation and its efforts to make legacy data available, the repatriation of the archives of Canada's first SAR satellite will increase the capacity for historical analysis. Comparisons of these unique images from RADARSAT-1's 17 years of operation are invaluable for climate change research through features such as sea ice cover, seasonal changes and climate change effects, particularly in Canada's North. Beyond climate change, the data is also applicable to geology, coastal monitoring, agriculture, disaster management, monitoring land use changes over time and more.

Numerous Government of Canada applications and services rely on the data currently provided by RCM. As is the case with all satellites, RCM has a predetermined mission life. To ensure the continuity of these services when RCM goes into its well-earned retirement the CSA has initiated concept studies to find cost-effective solutions to minimize disruptions in EO data. In 2023–24, the CSA will report on the exploratory work for RCM's successor under the Earth Observation Service Continuity (EOSC) initiative.

Preparatory studies will also be conducted to ensure the continuity of SCISAT data, whose 20 years of atmospheric data is used for monitoring Canada's air quality, ozone recovery, and the Earth's climate through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the UN Montreal Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The studies will focus on a potential satellite that would complement international partners', while addressing the various needs of SCISAT's data user base. The combination of Canada's strategic industrial capabilities and technical leadership will cement its enduring heritage in the development of solutions that meet the future EO needs of governments, industry and academia, as well as those of its partners around the world.

The CSA is working with NASA on the Deep Space Food Challenge, a competition to develop new technologies to produce food for future space missions while expanding opportunities for food production on Earth. The challenge seeks to create novel food production technologies that require minimal inputs (materials, energy, water, etc.) and maximize safe, nutritious, and palatable food. These innovations will not only be used for long-duration space missions but also have the potential to benefit people on Earth, particularly in remote and harsh environments, such as Canada's North. In 2023–24, the four finalist teams will develop and operate their prototypes, and a grand prize winner will be selected in spring 2024.

Many healthcare challenges faced by astronauts in deep space are also encountered by people living in remote communities: the needs of both can be addressed with predictive, proactive and increased on-site medical capacity and autonomy. Aiming to become a key player in healthcare delivery in deep space and to bring the benefits back on Earth in the coming decades, the CSA has, through its Health Beyond initiative, selected five Canadian companies to build prototypes for the Connected Care Medical Module (C²M²). These scalable units will contain state-of-the-art medical technologies that can be deployed in a timely and cost-efficient manner. The first prototypes of C²M² will be completed in 2023–24, paving the way for deployment and testing in remote communities.

The autonomous tools needed by astronauts and healthcare workers in remote communities to detect and diagnose medical conditions quickly and efficiently can come from innovators across society. By calling upon innovators through the Impact Canada platform, the CSA aims to find these ground-breaking solutions through a competitive process, the Deep Space Healthcare Challenge, that will enter its final stages in 2023–24. After the five finalists build their prototypes and demonstrate their remote healthcare technology concept in a simulated remote environment, the grand prize winner of the challenge will be announced in winter 2024.

The extent and rapidity with which microgravity (when astronauts and objects "float") affects the body makes the ISS an invaluable experimentation field for scientists: what takes decades to learn on Earth can be accomplished in a few months in space. The terrestrial benefits of space experiments will be reaped through studies such as TBone2, which could help doctors predict who is at higher risk of fractures by investigating bone loss in astronauts, and SANSORI, which will contribute to our understanding of conditions, such as glaucoma, and of the impact of cardiovascular disease on eyesight by studying vision changes experienced by astronauts. Wayfinding has the potential to help people with balance disorders by observing how astronauts' brains create new pathways to navigate their surroundings in a weightless environment, where the sense of orientation cannot rely on its usual landmarks — in other words, how the brain adapts to space motion sickness.

Astronauts stay active to mitigate the adverse effects of spaceflight on the body, and their hours on the stationary bike could improve the health of elderly patients. Studies like CARDIOBREATH monitor how the cardiac and respiratory systems adapt to a weightless environment, which lowers blood pressure and has many effects. These studies, along with those of the Vascular series such as Vascular Aging and Vascular Calcium, could improve our understanding of cardiovascular diseases, the number one cause of death on Earth.

These experiments will also help define new strategies for astronauts to stay healthy during future extended stays in space. Expected to be completed and demonstrated on the ISS in 2023–24, the new astronaut health protocol could also translate into guidelines to address the effects of sedentary lifestyles for all here on Earth.

Result 3 — Canada's investments in space benefit the Canadian economy

The opportunities provided by an innovative and productive economy contribute to Canadians' quality of life in numerous ways. The CSA's investments on Earth and in space help position the Canadian industry to benefit from the rapidly growing international space economy by encouraging our businesses to start up and scale up, our industrial capabilities to become resilient and create and cement our international partnerships, while creating quality and skilled jobs.

Through the STDP, the CSA funds organizations and businesses to develop technologies with a strong commercial potential and reduces technological unknowns on future potential Canadian missions. Having committed close to $200M and supported over 100 organizations since 2008, the STDP will continue to strengthen core Canadian capabilities with its 2023–24 wave of investments and continued support for ongoing projects. For example, the five companies working on concepts for Canadian infrastructure on the Moon — such as greenhouses, rovers for transporting humans, communications networks or power systems for generating energy — will move to prototyping their solutions in the fall of 2023. Out of the seven proposed concepts, five will be selected, further increasing the Canadian space sector's expertise, commercial and industrial capabilities.

Further benefiting the Canadian economy by expanding its medium and long-term capabilities, for the first time in history, a Canadian rover will explore the Moon and help in the international effort to search for water ice, a key component needed for the future of human space exploration. Following a competitive procurement process, a Canadian company will design and build the very first Canadian Lunar Rover Mission (LRM) to explore the South Pole of the Moon and analyze its soil by 2026–27. Having defined the requirements and selected the team responsible for developing the technology that must survive at a chilly −250°C lunar polar night (which lasts about 14 Earth days), LRM's preliminary design is planned to be completed in 2023–24. The CSA will also call for proposals for two of the Canadian science instruments to embark on this journey to the Moon.

In the era of big data, greater and more efficient data storage, analysis and sharing solutions must be developed to fully harness the richness and the breadth of applications that can be implemented with such information — especially regarding EO data. The CSA's smartEarth initiative, which supports the Canadian space sector in developing solutions through the use and application of satellite data, will launch a new funding opportunity in 2023–24 for fundamental and applied research in the academic community. This opportunity is designed to further the knowledge and capacity of Canadian EO experts, while building the critical mass of researchers and highly qualified personnel in the EO field. Outreach activities will also be conducted in 2023–24 to engage with the EO community in developing the proposed Canadian EO exploitation platform Digital Earth Canada (DEC). Since DEC aims to be an open, free and accessible networked system that provides innovative solutions to address major challenges such as adaptation to climate change, these enhanced coordination efforts with EO stakeholders will help integrate their needs and solutions to the platform, increasing its range of potential users, applications, and services.

The 45 years of cooperation between Canada and the European Space Agency (ESA) are a testimony to the ability of enduring international partnerships to provide the seedbed in which ideas, technologies and expertise can flourish and bring mutual economic benefits. Through the 2020–30 Canada‑ESA Cooperation Agreement, this mutually beneficial relationship will be reinforced in 2023–24 with Canada's new participation to the ESA's Space Safety Programme. This will not only reaffirm Canada's commitments to its international partners, but also to its businesses to participate in world-class projects related to space weather, planetary defence and provide solutions for a sustainable space environment.

In 2023–24, a pilot project will evaluate the feasibility for SpaceHub, a collaborative innovation space for the Canadian space sector. With its objective of making the CSA the primary actor in the procurement of space services, SpaceHub could provide space demonstration opportunities for SMEs' science and technology solutions to Canadian challenges and partnerships to develop collaborative R&D spaces at its headquarters with academia, industry and partners in the government. Startups, SMEs and academia will be able to connect through this innovation network, facilitating their integration into global supply chains, positioned for success in the new space era and as Canada welcomes commercial space launch capabilities.