The federal government’s plans to spend $38.6 billion over 20 years to help modernize NORAD and $5.5 billion over 20 years to acquire a comprehensive worldwide satellite communication capability, are helping drive Canada’s space & communications industry.
BY JAMES CARELESS
Given how nerve-wracking the past few years have been from a defence perspective, it is easy to forget that some of what we cover at CDR remains pretty cool and positive — such as space and communications. There is a tremendous amount of innovative and fascinating work being done by Canadian companies, as detailed in this year’s annual space and communications report.
THE BIG PICTURE
First, some economic context: “The Canadian space sector contributes nearly $3 billion to the Canadian economy yearly, annually sustaining thousands of jobs,” said Brian Gallant, CEO of Space Canada, the industry’s national trade association. “Two-thirds of the space sector jobs are in STEM [Science, technology, engineering and mathematics], and these jobs pay on average 64% more than the Canadian average.”
Second, some defence context: In an evermore insecure world, space is becoming a contested arena, with advances in missile technology and anti-satellite weaponry making life more dangerous for everyone — including Canada. As such, “This idea of future conflict being some mythical thing that may never happen to Canada or affect Canadians is an oversimplification of the realities of the geopolitical world as it is,” said BGen Christopher Horner, Commander of 3 Canadian Space Division [3 CSD] and the Canadian Armed Forces Joint Force Space Component Commander. This is why 3 CSD is working to boost space domain awareness for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), improve and protect our nation’s satellite communications, enhance Canadian space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, and improve Canada’s ability to assert its military will in space.
“For example, so many of the drones in Ukraine that are being used are connected to satellite data links to help fly them,” BGen Horner told CDR. “If we can defeat the adversary’s ability to control and time drones or large UAVs, it allows us to have a capability to defend Canada.”
One area that really concerns 3 CSD’s Commander is the relative thinness of Canada’s satellite fleet. “We only have collectively a half dozen to a dozen capabilities on orbit,” BGen Horner said. “If the adversary decides they’re going to break some of our toys, we don’t really have a quick turnaround to replace those things.”
Yet this point does not disrespect Canada’s accomplishments in space. “Every day RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) data is helping Canada address climate change and natural hazard risks, improve emergency response and respond to national security threats,” said Frédérick Fink, Media Relations Team Lead with the Canadian Space Agency. “In 2024–25, the CSA is advancing the RADARSAT+ initiative to ensure continuity of the variety of services to Canadians currently made possible by RCM.” He added that, “Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will participate in the Artemis II mission and fly around the Moon. [And] Assigning Jenni Gibbons as the official backup on this mission ensures that Canada is represented on this historic mission. Canada is also developing world-class space robotics. The state-of-the-art Canadarm3 robotic arm and forthcoming lunar rover and utility vehicle will make invaluable contributions to future Moon exploration missions.”
Clearly, Canadian space and communications has what it takes to punch above its weight, as it has since 1962 when Canada launched the Alouette 1 ionospheric research satellite — making this country the third into space after the USSR and US. (Although deactivated in 1972, Alouette 1 remains in orbit.) Where the challenge exists for the CAF and the Department of National Defence (DND) is being able to procure these capabilities from industry in a timely and efficient manner — “to harness the brilliance that is truly out there in the Canadian industry,” as BGen Horner said. “I’m a huge proponent of that, but I can’t just go and find a company and buy their thing directly: There’s a mechanism for that, but it still takes years.”
Speeding up the Canadian government’s space and communications procurement remains an ongoing issue for the CAF and DND, and the urgency to get it fixed keeps growing. For instance, “NORAD modernization is a complex, costly endeavor that demands an all-hands-on-deck approach. Canada must accelerate its efforts to establish a combined joint all-domain command and control (CJADC2) architecture,” said Mike Mueller, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. “To achieve this, a coherent strategy and plan are essential to ensure Canadian industries have the means and support to participate. This extends beyond the satellite sector to the broader system-of-systems capabilities that underpin NORAD’s surveillance and control architecture, while also addressing Canada’s often overlooked sovereign responsibilities.”
Whether Canada will get its act together on this critically important matter remains to be seen. So too will the impact of a possible shift in federal power from the Liberal to Conservative party sometime in 2025.
On this point, Space Canada’ s Brian Gallant — a former Premier of New Brunswick with considerable political savvy — chooses to be optimistic. “Successive governments, Conservatives and Liberals have made major investments and commitments to space,” said Gallant. “It also has to be noted that many of the commitments and investments started by one government were continued by another. So that certainly encourages me to believe that space is a nonpartisan Canadian ambition.”
That’s the Big Picture view of the Canadian space and communications industry. Now, here are some of its top players.
CALIAN
Calian Group is a highly diversified company, with services and solutions in military training, healthcare, cybersecurity and information technologies — and in space and defence.
“Calian has a long history of delivering critical satellite ground segment solutions, with our first deliveries in the 1960s,” said Jordan Miller, the company’s Marketing Lead for Global Defence. “We deliver 4 metre antennas that support low earth orbit (LEO) applications to 35 metre antennas for deep space communications — and everything in between for deep space research, and deep space astronomy and radar. We also deliver the necessary hardware and software to operate the ground stations, providing custom built solutions when needed.”
That’s not all: “Large scale satellite constellation operations are de-risked using Calian orchestration software offered by our Software-defined solutions group,” Miller said. “For example, satellite communications customers ensure their payloads are operating at maximum capacity using our software products.”
Calian’s scalable central management platforms help customers run complex networks and data. An example of these solutions was recently announced for Telesat’s Lightspeed network, where Calian’s element management system will support the management of several subsystems in Telesat’s ground system. As well, “the Calian team fulfills a critical role in maximizing the lifespan of space missions, delivering maximum return on public investment in space,” said Miller. “We also operate [satellite/terrestrial] teleports, most notably in Hawaii, Guam, and Saskatoon. [As well,] Our satellite flight operations work supports Canadian space missions at the Canadian Space Agency.”
Looking forward, Calian wants to offer its expertise to Canada’s NORAD Modernization program, specifically for the Arctic Over the Horizon Radar (OTH-R) program and Surveillance of Space (SoS2) projects.
HONEYWELL
Honeywell is a longstanding partner with the CAF. The company is currently performing work on the RCAF’s CF-18, CP-140, CC-177, CH-148, CC-130J, CH-147F, CH-149, CT-114, CC-150, CC-138, and CT-142 aircraft. It is also involved in Canada’s procurement of the F-35A and P-8A aircraft, plus MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones. Honeywell is also helping to upgrade the RCN’s Halifax Class Frigates and are also involved in Canada’s procurement of new Surface Combatant ships. In the future, Honeywell hopes to help sustain Canada’s new CC-330s, F-35As, MQ-9Bs and P-8As, among others. The company has over 2000 employees in Canada across 37 locations and 10 provinces.
In the area of Space and Communications, Honeywell sees opportunities in Canada’s allocation of $38.6 billion over 20 years to help modernize NORAD, and $5.5 billion over 20 years to acquire a comprehensive worldwide satellite communication capability. With respect to NORAD modernization, “we anticipate the allocated funds to include the space and communications sector,” said Sarah Cooney, Vice President of Defense Aftermarket Americas with Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “In response to Canada’s $5.5 billion allocation over the next 20 years to enhance satellite communication capabilities, Honeywell recognizes the positive step this represents for advancing the Canadian space industry. The commitment to bolster satellite communications infrastructure will, no doubt, create opportunities and growth for Canadian businesses in the space sector, including in terms of manufacturing, operations, and innovation.”
LUNAR MEDICAL
Sooner or later, astronauts are going to become ill or injured while in space and require onsite medical assistance. To this end, “Lunar Medical is developing Digital Health and AI solutions for military, civilian, and human spaceflight environments,” said Dr. David M. Musson, CEO of Lunar Medical. “Our primary focus is on providing clinical monitoring and decision support in remote and austere environments.” The company has expertise in AI, Machine Learning, Embedded Systems, Operational Applied Psychology, Medical Education, and Digital Health.
At present, Lunar Medical has been preparing a product for the Canadian Space Agency’s Connected Care Medical Module (C2M2) program. Specifically, “Lunar Medical’s Medical Care and Communication Integrator (MCCOI) is a digital health integration platform, providing AI-powered decision support, telemedical communications, and in-situ Machine Learning capability,” Dr. Musson told CDR. As well, “We have completed several DND IDEAS contracts related to Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation. Our current focus is on medical-AI in operational environments. We are at the testing stage for using our systems in battlefield/combat scenarios.”
Lunar Medical is currently expanding from being a start-up to an SME with up to five new hires and new facilities. The company sees growth opportunities on Earth as well as in space. The reason? “Digital Health is a critical niche area for spaceflight, but a core need for military operations,” said Dr. Musson. However, he is not counting on Lunar Medical providing support to 3 Canadian Space Division — at least not yet. “Until 3 CSD flies humans, our alignment is closer with DND deployed ground and sea operations and Canadian Forces Health Services Group,” Dr. Musson said.
MAGELLAN AEROSPACE
Magellan Aerospace supplies advanced assemblies and systems solutions to aircraft/engine manufacturers, defence clients, and space agencies worldwide.
“Magellan has supported RCAF space programs with our legacy Black Brant family of sounding rockets since the 1950s,” said Haydn Martin, Magellan’s Vice President of Business Development, Marketing and Contracts. “Today, Magellan-built spacecraft for the RADARSAT Constellation Mission are providing invaluable earth observation data for maritime surveillance, disaster management, and ecosystem monitoring. Magellan is [also] the mission Prime for the Defence Research and Development Canada’s Redwing satellite mission. Expected to launch in 2026, the Redwing will help the forces track space objects for situational awareness purposes.”
In addition to these space-related projects, Magellan manufactures satellite systems, the SeaSpider rocket motor and warhead sections, plus various rocket motors for defence applications.
As for future space opportunities in Canada for Magellan? “NORAD’s Modernization plan covers operational class missions such as Defence Enhanced Surveillance from Space, Enhanced Satellite Communication – Polar,” Martin said. “The investment commitment by Canada is significant and very crucial for Canada. In addition to this, Magellan is working on the Redwing mission – Space Situational Awareness (SSA) mission. SSA has been recognized as one of the priorities as a part of NORAD Modernization plan.”
The company also sees opportunities in supporting 3 Canadian Space Division. “Missions like high resolution SAR, space LEO architecture, detection of hypersonic vehicles using space technologies, space situational awareness and surveillance of space are vital for the commercial space sector of Canada,” said Martin. “Magellan Aerospace has expertise in areas such as space situational awareness and detection, and spacecraft manufacturing.”
MARITIME LAUNCH
The federal government’s plan to spend $5.5 billion over 20 years to acquire a comprehensive worldwide satellite communication capability is welcome news for Maritime Launch. It is developing Spaceport Nova Scotia (near Canso, Nova Scotia) to serve the global space market demand for commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite/spacecraft launches.
“We expect this will have a net positive impact on Maritime Launch, as satellite operators need to get their hardware in space in order for the technology to work, provide benefit and ensure their business is profitable,” said Stephen Matier, Maritime Launch’s President and CEO. “Launch capacity in North America is extremely constrained currently. Maritime Launch will alleviate this burden when orbital launch from Nova Scotia comes online in 2026.” The spaceport can already support suborbital launches.
Maritime Launch’s mission is to provide launch vehicle clients with a full range of launch services to help ensure mission success. “We operate on a lease-and-launch model like an airport, where launch vehicle operators can lease a pad to carry out their missions to deliver their client’s satellites to orbit,” Matier told CDR. “Our location near Canso, Nova Scotia allows access to a variety of orbital inclinations from a single site at 45-98 degrees, including polar and sun-synchronous orbits, which are essential for certain types of satellite missions, such as Earth observation, weather monitoring, and reconnaissance. This complements US east coast launch sites that may be more optimized for other orbital paths, providing more launch flexibility, capacity and resiliency. Launching from Canada will fundamentally strengthen US-Canada defence and economic cooperation.”
MDA SPACE
2024 was an excellent year for MDA Space (formerly MDA), as the prime satellite contractor on Telesat’s Lightspeed LEO satellite constellation announced the successful completion of the spacecraft Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in tandem with Telesat on December 4th. MDA Space is building 198 LEO satellites for the constellation that will be powered by MDA AURORA, the company’s new digital satellite product line.
That’s not all: “MDA Space is developing a full suite of market-disrupting commercial space products to meet global demand,” said Amy MacLeod, MDA Space’s VP of Communications. “Building on the legendary RADARSAT heritage, development is well underway on MDA CHORUS, our powerful next generation multi-sensor Earth observation constellation that will provide the most extensive radar imaging capacity available on the market. In 2024, we unveiled our new software-defined satellite product line, MDA AURORA, that addresses growing demand for higher performance and cost-effective digital constellations. We also announced MDA SKYMAKER, a full suite of scalable and modular space robotics and services.”
2024 saw MDA Space make some major investments as well. Along with hiring more than 900 new employees (bringing its total workforce to over 3,000), the company opened a new purpose-built global headquarters and Space Robotics Centre of Excellence in Brampton, Ontario. “This modern 200,000 square-foot facility is home to more than 1000 highly skilled MDA Space employees, which is the production centre for Canadarm3 and MDA SKYMAKER,” said MacLeod. MDA Space also began construction on a 185,000 square foot expansion at its satellite production facility in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. It will eventually deliver up to two MDA AURORA digital satellites a day
MISSION CONTROL
Mission Control makes software systems that help spacecraft and planetary rovers run their missions autonomously. “We are pragmatic visionaries and creative problem-solvers on a mission to develop software and AI that empowers explorers to advance their space mission,” said Kaizad Raimalwala, the company’s Senior Manager of Business Development. “Our foray into space exploration began with R&D to develop cutting-edge software technologies that could be used by future Mars and Moon rovers to enhance their autonomous navigation. Today we are working on solving some of the toughest challenges in space applications ranging from remote sensing for supporting civil and defence applications on Earth, to robotics for commercial servicing and exploration in Earth orbit and at the Moon.”
Mission Control’s core product is Spacefarer. It is a mission operations development platform for distributed teams to operate robotics and payloads. Spacefarer is currently being used by multiple organizations who are flying small mobile robots to the lunar surface.
“We have also developed an internal product line called SpacefarerAI and are working towards productizing it for external release,” Raimalwala said. “We have used SpacefarerAI to deploy AI in space for our own technology demonstrations, making us the first organization in the world to deploy deep learning AI for a lunar surface mission.”
In 2025, Mission Control will fly their own small satellite platform called Mission Persistence. It will be used to test AI models to show how AI can be used safely and reliably in spaceflight applications. “We are also offering a service to fly AI models developed by other organizations,” said Raimalwala.
PLANET
Established by three NASA scientists in 2010, Planet Labs PBC (aka Planet) provides worldwide satellite imagery and geospatial solutions to its more than 1,000 clients. Planet does this by designing, building, and operating the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites. In the defence/intelligence sector, Planet delivers near-daily satellite imagery to support Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).
“Planet currently works closely with a number of Canadian federal government departments,” said Michael Mulley, Planet’s Canadian Federal Government Account Executive. “Moving forward, Planet wants to get more involved with the Canadian Armed Forces for arctic and maritime domain awareness. Canada’s new defence policy, ‘Our North, Strong and Free’, is heavily focused on threats to the Arctic. There have been a number of reports over the last couple years (from both the Auditor General and the Senate Standing Committee on the security and defence in the Arctic) highlighting longstanding gaps in maritime domain awareness of Canada’s Arctic waters. Planet has a data-agnostic comprehensive maritime domain awareness solution that fuses multiple intelligence sources to offer near real-time monitoring of vessels across millions of square kilometers globally.”
According to Mulley, Planet can contribute to Canada’s defence by enhancing situational awareness across vast and remote areas, including the Arctic, where traditional monitoring is challenging. “By delivering up-to-date imagery, Planet can assist the CAF in tracking changes, monitoring strategic areas, and improving awareness of activities that could pose a threat to national security,” he said. The company can also support the CAF in disaster response scenarios by providing rapid, high-resolution imagery that helps assess damages, plan relief efforts, and coordinate logistics.
SPACEBRIDGE
Headquartered in Montreal, SpaceBridge develops and sells advanced satellite ground equipment and services, including VSAT HUBs, Block Up Converters and powered amplifiers, and User Terminals (modems, transceiver, and antenna options) serving both fixed location or mobile satellite networks.
A case in point: “SpaceBridge’s Next Generation ESTELLA core is a transformative satellite communication (SATCOM) solution offering advanced feature sets to support various operational needs critical for modern defence, including secure, reliable, and flexible connectivity,” said David Gelerman, President and CEO. “ESTELLA combines our 3D Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) Waveform, our quasi-SCPC WaveSwitch waveform, and our Dynamic Rate Assignment (or Burst Mode-Frequency Division Multiple Access; BM-FDMA) features together to offer a SATCOM solution which meets military requirements everywhere.”
“SpaceBridge ESTELLA is ideally suited to support military and mission critical applications around the world,” he added. This is because ESTELLA supports multi-military missions profiles across GEO satellites enabling wide reach and coverage; offers high data throughput and bandwidth efficiency; and provides secure, encrypted communications.
“ESTELLA DRA and FHSS provides a robust physical layer “obfuscation” of the return satellite channels to defeat anti-jamming and satellite interference/disruption,” explained Gelerman. “Additionally, ESTELLA employs robust COMSEC AES256 based encryption at the forward and return satellite channel/carrier traffic to safeguard communications from interception.”
The upcoming year looks promising for SpaceBridge. “As our new ESTELLA VSAT platform became commercially available in December 2024, we are planning to gain market share because of its superior spectral efficiency and cost effectiveness,” Gelerman said. As a result, “We will need to hire 17-25 engineers in 2025 and around 30 people for production, procurement, customer support, logistics, accounting and quality assurance.”
James Carless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief
