Grants and Contributions

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are used for many types of missions that involve science, Earth observation, communication, and more. An important part of a satellite's data management system is the Payload Control Unit (PCU). Used by commercial, government, and space agency customers, the market for low-cost, high-performance satellite technology is growing.

This project will test the ability of a new type of low-cost PCU based on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product to stand up to the harsh environment of space on long missions in high-LEO (in the exosphere). The result will be a component that can be produced quickly and scaled to meet large customer demands. Producing low-cost, high-performance, space-ready PCUs will allow Canadian industry to meet the needs of new markets and retain experts in small satellite technology. It will also lead to a better understanding of environmental issues and improved security and monitoring of our coastlines and waters.

Lidar systems use lasers to measure range and are useful for everything from guiding cars on city streets to surveying asteroids in space.

This project will study how to combine smaller, lighter components in a new way to develop a more powerful, compact 3D imaging system for use in future space exploration missions. The smaller, more efficient design will help spacecraft dock with each other, guide autonomous rovers on other planets, help drones create 3D maps, and prevent collisions in marine locks. This project will allow Canadian industry to pursue market opportunities in mobile mapping, security, and automotive markets. This innovation will also provide more accurate environmental data and benefit the mining and forestry industries.

The modern global space architecture is more open, inclusive and diverse than ever before, but also more distributed and fragmented. From satellite servicing, orbital debris and contested space to Lunar Gateway and planetary surface exploration, situational awareness is a current topic of interest across all mission classes.

Canadensys is advancing the development of a small, low-cost, deep-space-ruggedized 360° imager that supports both situational awareness and hazard detection for both orbit and ground infrastructure, the Nano-Immersive Situational Awareness system (NISA). The NISA system is tested both on ground and aboard a satellite to obtain real-world in-space performance test data across four main use cases tying directly to near-term market applications: general 360° imaging, video and immersive situational awareness; mission monitoring; proximity operations; and surveillance of space.

Satellite operators lease out bandwidth for uses like cellular networks and internet services. The bandwidth provided by a satellite becomes fragmented over time, as leases expire and are replaced by new leases that do not always use exactly the same bandwidth. This results in portions of the bandwidth being unattractive to new users, because it is not sufficient for their needs.

This project will explore how to use channel bonding to combine this under-used bandwidth and improve satellite operations. It will design and produce a prototype of a channel bonded modem that gathers under-used bandwidth on satellite modems to produce high output signals to increase communication performance. This project will benefit satellite operators and end users by allowing under-used bandwidth to be sold at preferred rates, which in turn would provide a cost-effective option for remote communities that are reliant on satellite communications. In addition, extra communication security will result from spreading signals across multiple channels and satellites, which makes it harder to intercept sensitive government or defense communications.

Artificial intelligence (AI) running on high-performance computers can be trained to help scientists get the most out of space exploration missions. The technology is used to make decisions about where to go, what information to collect, and what data to share with scientists.

This project will explore low-power hardware platforms that provide the processing power needed for AI, can be made less susceptible to the effects of radiation, and are ready for the harsh, constrained environment of space. The small size and low weight components will allow future space missions to conduct independent scientific investigations, adapt to changing situations in space, or determine the best data to send back to Earth. This project will showcase Canadian innovation and open the market for on-board AI in space, allowing a wide range of AI applications to run directly on a spacecraft.

The use of 3D printers in additive manufacturing is significantly changing the way satellites are made. It allows more design options and lowers the cost and lead-time needed to make components. It can also result in fewer parts, easier assembly, and lighter, more efficient systems.

This project will show how 3D printers can produce low-cost, space ready parts for use in the commercial satellite industry. It will use large-scale 3D printers to create a working radio frequency space antenna model. The model will be tested to ensure it meets defined mechanical and performance goals and inform future 3D printing projects. This work showcases Canada's continued leadership in new space technologies and provides many opportunities for highly qualified personnel to enhance their knowledge and skills. It also combines expertise from the additive manufacturing and space development sectors to create an all-Canadian supply chain of advanced satellite communication parts and sub-systems.

The Wide-Angle Fabry-Perot (WAF-P) imaging spectrometer is the main instrument on satellites that is used to measure greenhouse gas emissions from industrial facilities around the world.

This project will use lessons learned from the current version of the spectrometer to provide major performance improvements that will make it perform 10 times better. These improvements will miniaturize the platform, provide the spectrometer with the ability to detect very small concentrations of gases like methane, and allow it to be adapted to measure other trace gases like ammonia. This project will open up a $2 billion greenhouse gas measurement market to Canadian industry. It will also increase the number of Canadian experts in the field over the next three years.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations currently under development will require the use of high-speed optical inter-satellite links to move vast amounts of data from satellite to satellite. To achieve this, the satellite optical terminals will need precision acquisition and tracking capabilities to establish and maintain tightly focused optical communications links.

The project will leverage past work done by Honeywell on the James Webb Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor and other space projects to perform advanced development of an optical pointing and tracking system that will perform better, can be manufactured faster, and costs less than existing designs. The project will help Canada to secure a critical new role in space communications and maintain Canada's dominant position in space-based communications hardware.

Satellite optical communications terminals currently in use as well as those that are in advanced development, use large steering mechanisms to direct lasers at their intended targets.

This project will develop and test a low-cost, light-weight, electronic pointing system to replace existing steering mechanisms. The new system will use a high-efficiency optical phased array to transmit signals more reliably and will be small enough to fit on a single chip. This project will also test the system's ability to work with other optical components, which will lower costs and accelerate the adoption of satellite based optical communications for a range of applications.

Satellite telecommunications companies are in need of fleets of very small satellites, commonly referred to as nanosatellites with high capacity communications equipment. To meet the growing demand, new processes and design considerations are needed.

This project will create a new Canadian communications platform that can support the growing demand and performance requirements in telecommunications. This work will position Canada as a leader in the nanosatellite industry and provide new forms of export revenue, in addition to providing public access to new communication services that will serve the entire country.