Grants and Contributions

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.

The Principal Investigator (PI) team has discovered that the eyes of astronauts become softer during spaceflight, and this change in the mechanical properties of the eye may be at the root of a disease that afflicts astronauts. SANS is a condition that hampers vision and affects individuals exposed to microgravity with a pathophysiology that is not yet understood.
This project seeks to:
1) Analyze pulsatile tissue deformation in the optic nerve head (ONH) to determine whether tissue strain is correlated with subsequent edema.
2) Study whether the choroidal response to Valsalva maneuvers can be used as SANS risk factors, and whether Valsalvas play a pathophysiological role.
3) Analyze long-term ocular rigidity (OR) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) normalization, as individuals who suffered SANS are more likely to relapse during new missions.
4) Extend the existing SANSORI cohort to determine if OR alone can be used as a predictive biomarker of SANS severity.

Space exploration radiation risks remain a major challenge for long-duration missions. In collaboration with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the research team will develop a space radiation protocol simulating heavily shielded environment of Lunar habitats predicted to exhibit high levels of neutron radiation. They propose to use quail (Coturnix coturnix) as a novel non-human research model and to assess the effects of gamma and neutron radiation on skeletal, calcium homeostasis and cardiovascular systems. Similar to humans and rodents, spaceflight experiments with quail eggs showed altered calcium homeostasis and bone loss, demonstrating that quail egg is a valid research model to study fundamental biological questions relevant to spaceflight risks to humans. Moreover, quail meat and eggs have nutritional value and are potentially useful as sustainable food supply for Lunar bases. These studies will pave the way for assessing countermeasures necessary to eliminate the identified risks of the chronic exposure to radiation relevant to Lunar exploration.

Astronauts return from space with anemia. The mechanisms causing anemia are not known. During long space missions to the Moon or Mars, astronaut must stay safe from severe anemia. The SPleen Activity in SPace Anemia (SPA2) aims to address outstanding questions on the mechanism of space anemia. SPA2 will test two (2) key hypotheses:
1) The spleen is altered by prolonged exposure to space; and
2) Space anemia is caused by extravascular hemolysis in the spleen.
SPA2 will measure changes in spleen size, shape, and structure using magnetic resonance and ultrasonography. Then, SPA2 will measure hemolysis and hemolysis markers using comprehensive clinical and laboratory techniques.

The satellite market has recently shifted towards Low Earth Orbit constellations. These missions require feeder link antennas that offer a wide scan angle and are typically supported by reflector antennas. A shift towards phased array for feeder links is starting to emerge as this technology presents great advantages in terms of number of beams, speed of reconfigurability and interference mitigation capacities. The purpose of this project is to develop a feeder link Ka-Band phased array antenna with interference mitigation capabilities. This requires developing antenna architecture and concepts that integrate on-orbit calibration and develop interference mitigation algorithms. The expected outcome will be an antenna breadboard model to support the testing of calibration and interference mitigations algorithms. LEO constellations supported by these novel feed link antennas will ultimately provide broadband access to remote areas where it is not economically viable to develop traditional broadband services, helping to close the digital divide.

The objective of this proposal is to design and test a vascular simulator for variable gravity mechanobiology to be used in future space missions. It will build upon a portable vascular simulator used to study the impact of variable gravity in a parabolic flight campaign of the carotid bifurcation. The simulator is being designed to study fundamental knowledge gaps in the biomechanics and mechanobiology of vascular adaptation and deconditioning. The vascular cell culture simulator will be used to expose human endothelial cells, blood cells and blood components to fluid and tissue stresses created during space flight to identify cellular response, adaptation and blood/drug interactions. The simulator will advance the development and testing of new countermeasures to limit cardiovascular risk in space flight. The vascular simulator developed will provide a platform to help answer specific research questions associated with endothelial cell response, inflammation and thrombosis formation.

With the advancement of Low-Earth Orbit Constellation missions and a higher focus towards more New Space/demonstration type missions, we believe at MDA Space that there is a real need and advantage to decrease the costs and mass of traditional solar array assemblies. To develop this technology in Canada reduces the reliance of the Canadian space sector towards American and European solar array providers. Furthermore, it would create more work on this side of the border, it would increase MDA Space’s competitiveness on the global space industry market, and it has the potential to help enable missions that weren’t closing within certain budget constraints by improving by a significant margin one of the biggest cost centers on a numerical satellite such as MDA AURORA™. More specifically, the proposed research and development work would increase the technology readiness level of a lightweight solar array comprised of a flexible substrate onto which the solar cells/modules are bonded or encapsulated, and a deployment mechanism of the type of pantograph with simple pivots and a simple cost actuator, which get validated through various breadboards and a representative prototype that undergoes environmental testing.

Lunar system design and mission planning require advanced simulations to ensure success, yet existing tools are fragmented, proprietary, or lack full-system integration for mission validation. This project advances the TRL of Foundation Space Resources’ (FSR) Lunar Digital Twin to include additional environmental models and more efficient simulation, resulting in a solution that more holistically addresses Lunar system design and mission planning needs. Current Lunar simulations focus on isolated mission elements, but FSR’s approach uniquely integrates multiple high-fidelity environmental models, providing a more complete and realistic test environment. This allows Canadian space agencies and companies to test hardware, optimize landing sites, and validate mission strategies before deployment, reducing costs, risks, and mission delays.

Space weather—solar storms and geomagnetic disturbances—poses a major risk to satellites, GPS, communications, and power grids, yet current forecasts lack the accuracy and real-time updates needed for effective mitigation. This project develops an AI-powered space weather prediction system that leverages machine learning and real-time satellite data to deliver faster, more reliable, and asset-specific forecasts. By improving satellite protection, GPS reliability, and power grid resilience, this system will enable governments, space agencies, and industries to make informed, proactive decisions. In Canada, these early warnings will be critical for Arctic aviation, naval operations, and remote communications, strengthening national security and Canada’s leadership in space technology. Reliable, real-time forecasts will also enhance safety for remote communities and maritime operations, where HF radio and GNSS disruptions pose serious operational risks.

Quaternion Aerospace will develop a low cost, highly capable, and fully Canadian nanosatellite platform to strengthen domestic space industry capabilities and decouple from reliance on foreign suppliers. This platform will provide all of the systems needed to build a satellite, allowing Canada’s science, business, and defense industries to get their technologies into orbit quicker and at a lower cost, without any dependence on foreign countries. Quaternion will offer an off-the-shelf solution - either as individual components, or as a complete satellite bus - ready to be tailored to Canada's most pressing needs, from Artic military surveillance to detection and monitoring of wildfires, to forestry and crop monitoring. This will allow more of the money spent in these critical areas to remain in Canada, foster a strong domestic aerospace HQP pool, and accelerate the pace of innovation to ensure that Canada remains, strong, sovereign, and competitive in an ever-changing world.