State of the Canadian space sector
President's message

Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). (Credit: CSA)
As the President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), I am pleased to present the State of the Canadian Space Sector Report: Facts and Figures . The report, which has been published since , is the primary reference on the Canadian space sector. It contributes to our understanding of the sector by providing comprehensive and authoritative data, as well as long-term trend analysis on the economic activity generated in the Canadian space sector.
The State of the Canadian Space Sector Report: Facts and Figures is based on information gathered from 208 organizations involved in space activities from across Canada, including small businesses, multinational space companies, not-for-profit organizations, research centres and universities.
COVID-19 significantly impacted the Canadian space sector in the second quarter of . Traditionally, the survey would only contain data, but given the circumstances, questions were added to assess the preliminary impacts of COVID-19 during the / fiscal year. Results indicated that COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on company revenues, demand for services, employment, and supply chain operations across the Canadian space sector.
In , the space sector produced revenues of $5.5B and contributed $2.5B to Canada's gross domestic product (GDP). Research and development (R&D) expenditures reached a total of $376M, while commercialization revenues from government-funded projects totalled $253M. A new section on return on investment (ROI) was added to the report this year, revealing that for CSA space development programs, for every dollar invested, 2.5 dollars are returned through follow-on revenues – a multiplier of 2.5 times. Space sector organizations reported a total of 243 inventions and 66 registered patents.
The Canadian space workforce grew to over 10,000 jobs, while activities in the space sector supported more than 12,000 additional jobs in the wider Canadian economy. New questions related to gender were added to the survey this year which capture the gender balance for the entire space workforce. It is estimated that 28% of people in the Canadian space sector identify as female, and 72% identify as male.
I trust you will find this publication useful. I would like to convey my gratitude to all those who contributed to the survey. This publication would not be possible without the generous collaboration of members of the Canadian space industry and academia.
Reports
- State of the Canadian Space Sector Report - Facts and Figures
- State of the Canadian Space Sector Report 2019 - Facts and Figures
- State of the Canadian Space Sector Report - Facts and Figures
- State of the Canadian Space Sector Report
- State of the Canadian Space Sector Report 2015
- If you wish to consult issues of the publication from previous years, please visit the Government of Canada Publications website.
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