Grants and Contributions

Radiation protection is one of the most important considerations in space missions because of its harmful effects on astronauts and electronics. Both shielding and structural materials provide protection from radiation's effects on equipment and human DNA. However, when radiation interacts with some types of materials, secondary radiation that can cause even more damage may be produced.

This project will develop a lightweight, multilayered nanocomposite material that blocks primary radiation and limits the amount of secondary radiation created. The material will also be tested for other important features like its ability to recover from severe radiation and maintain its shielding ability, manage extreme space temperatures, and function during long missions. This material will lead to better protection for astronauts and equipment during space exploration missions, as well as for medical, nuclear, and aerospace workers on Earth.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites are used to scan vast areas of ocean to reliably detect any ships that are there. These wide area scans produce low-resolution images, but high-resolution images are needed to identify illegal activities like unregulated fishing.

A new satellite called SAR-XL has two independent radars—one that takes wide angle, low-resolution images, and another than produces high-resolution ones. This project will develop software and systems to allow both of the satellite's radars to work together to first detect the presence of objects like ships and sea ice, and then zoom in to identify them. These updates to SAR satellite technology will improve maritime surveillance activities by providing accurate, timely information about everything happening in Canada's maritime zones. This work supports important activities, such as monitoring the Artic, identifying ships in distress, maintaining Canadian sovereignty in the North, and protecting the border against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and trafficking.

A new set of six Earth-observation satellites will provide a very precise snapshot of most of Earth's surface on a daily basis so that changes can be tracked over time. The data must be accurately calibrated, which is normally a time-consuming, manual task.

This project will provide three system components to cost-effectively automate this process. One system will automatically calibrate the many images produced by the six satellites. A validation system will assess the images as they are transmitted to Earth. An integration system will improve the quality of the images. This project will provide the ability to detect changes on Earth over time that can be used to identify crop damage, improve environmental monitoring, manage irrigation, and increase crop yields. It will also establish a world-class team of Canadian experts in optical systems, space-based imaging, and high-throughput software development.

Robotic equipment used on the Lunar Gateway will need to work with heavy payloads and operate in harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures. To ensure that this equipment can function reliably, accurate force sensors will be used. However, during long duration space missions, these sensors become less reliable as they are exposed to different levels of force and work.

This project will develop and test a new type of force sensor that measures changes that happen during active movement to overcome the challenges of working in space. These force sensors will be able to actively adjust robotic tools during long missions in space to support activities like space mining or on-orbit servicing operations. This project gives Canadian industry a competitive advantage and opens up new markets, creating employment opportunities for engineers and technologists.

The SPIRE spectrometer used on the Herschel Space Observatory changed the way we see space, giving us clear views of the far-infrared universe and the first large-scale view of distant galaxies. By using a similar imaging technique and cooling the telescope, the Space Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) will be 100 times more sensitive than Herschel, able to detect objects 10 times further away, and capable of exploring a greater volume of the universe.

This project will develop a data processing framework and software to calibrate the 2,400 sensors that will be used to capture the large amounts of data and high-resolution images. It will also include testing the instruments and calibration systems in new environments. Building on the legacy of Canada's contributions to Herschel, this work paves the way for an even greater contribution to new far-infrared missions. The project provides training opportunities at all levels and will increase engagement of students in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields across Canada.

Maya HTT proposes an innovative machine learning technique that will provide more reliable thermal simulation models for investigating spacecraft operational scenarios and allow for the creation of a database of optical property changes that occur with exposure to the space environment.

This innovation will improve the correlation of thermal model predictions with spacecraft in-flight temperatures. The technique will build on data from computer thermal simulation models, developed during spacecraft development to predict on-orbit temperatures, which are used to ensure that the spacecraft components will operate within an acceptable temperature range during all phases of the mission. Using in-flight data from telemetry to determine changes to the optical properties of the external surfaces with machine learning algorithms will enhance the accuracy of the future predictions and provide more reliable simulation models.

The growing small satellite market calls for reliable, affordable launch services to get spacecraft to orbit quickly and safely, but the current availability of these services is limited.
To address this issue, Reaction Dynamics' launch vehicle is designed to provide launch services dedicated to transporting smaller payloads into orbit. The startup's technological breakthrough makes hybrid rocket engines feasible for orbital launch applications. These hybrid rocket engines reduce part count dramatically, enabling shorter lead times at significantly lower costs when compared to other technologies. The new launch vehicle will include state-of-the-art guidance, navigation, and thrust vector control to direct the thrust of its rocket engine and guide its own course to a specific orbit. Among other critical technologies, this contribution will support the development of a reliable, low-cost flight computer and software to autonomously control the launch vehicle during flight and test the system on the ground. It will also lead to spin-off technology applications for the automotive and aerospace industries, creating new business opportunities and jobs.

Moon exploration missions are a high priority for governments and commercial organizations. For these missions to be successful, lunar landing systems must provide space vehicles with the ability to land in specific locations and on any kind of terrain. Currently, landing systems that can reach a target site accurately, detect hazards on the Moon's surface, and avoid them are not commercially available.

This project will design and test a cost-effective, lightweight landing system that combines two technologies into a single unit to solve this problem. A highly-accurate navigation system will use two cameras to locate and estimate the condition of a landing site. A hazard detection and avoidance system will use active Lidar sensors to determine the best landing site to use. Addressing this gap in technology will open up an emerging commercial Moon transportation market to Canadian industry. It will also raise awareness of Canada's expertise in landing technology for space missions.

This grant is to fund oceanographic research for Canada's contribution to the NASA SWOT Mission. The objectives are: to characterize and catalog contributions to sea surface height, assess how representation of surface layer dynamics impacts modeled sea surface height, and use high frequency radar to infer sea surface height in order to compare with idealized numerical simulations.

The purpose of this grant is to provide support for a Mars InSight mission science team member to conduct experiments in support of mission objectives. This project will investigate magnetic signatures preserved in the Martian crust.