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 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 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.

This project aims to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in Canada’s space sector by recruiting, training, and retaining women, racialized individuals, and persons with disabilities through hands-on space robotics and human spaceflight programs. It combines technical training, mentorship, outreach activities, hackathons, and career development events to build a more diverse and highly qualified space workforce.

The Pulsar Institute has successfully delivered two cohorts of the LaunchPad program, with nearly 200 post-secondary students that have completed the program as of May 2026. The program connects students with space industry leaders, offers career development and skills-based workshops, and includes an in-person networking and innovation event. Additional CSA funding will support future cohorts and help advance the Pulsar Space Portal from its beta phase to a sustainable, industry-supported platform.
A key focus of the initiative is diversity and inclusion, with a goal of ensuring that at least 75% of participants come from underrepresented groups. Travel support will help students from across Canada participate. The long-term objective is to create a self-sustaining program and online community that supports students, alumni, industry partners, and the broader Canadian space sector.

This project will advance a made-in-Canada handheld bioprinting system (INSITE), engineered to treat severe skin injuries in space and in remote environments where conventional surgical care is unavailable. The device enables the operator to print thin, bioactive layers directly onto wounds, accelerating healing while reducing scarring, pain, and donor-site morbidity. The project includes the validation of INSITE’s performance in microgravity aboard Virgin Galactic’s Delta spacecraft flight and will involve developing direct-use cryopreserved bioinks that eliminate the need for on-orbit culture. Deliverables include a flight-tested handheld bioprinter, validated cryopreserved bioinks, and standard operating procedures for suborbital use.

This project develops autonomous technologies to help spacecraft safely navigate around the Moon by detecting nearby objects and monitoring surface changes without needing constant contact with Earth. As lunar activity increases, particularly on the far side of the Moon, spacecraft must independently identify artificial objects, natural debris, and changes on the surface caused by meteoroid impacts. The first activity focuses on detecting recent surface changes using variations in albedo captured by onboard sensors. The second analyzes how both natural and artificial objects reflect sunlight, enabling spacecraft to determine their position, motion, and mass properties. The third activity creates 3D models of the lunar environment to define potential logical spaces, digital zones representing future landing sites, exploration areas, or infrastructure. These models help spacecraft understand their surroundings and support planning for long-term lunar operations. Altogether, the project advances safe, autonomous operations in cislunar space and supports sustainable development around the Moon.

Rock chemistries and micro-textures resolvable by the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) instrument onboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover allow integrated rock histories to be resolved. The science objectives of this proposal focus on different rock components, including (1) igneous starting materials, (2) secondary salts and alteration products, (3) dust and coatings that accumulate at the Mars surface. Key to understanding the history is the Mineralogical make up, grain size and shape, rock cements cementing agents. This project addresses these possible contributions (dust, igneous precursor, and secondary alteration) to rock compositions analyzed by the Mars 2020 rover in Jezero Crater by micro-textural geochemical and mineralogical data. These studies will aid in achieving the Mars 2020 mission goals of assessing the Jezero rocks for potential habitability and to aid in sample selection.

Astronauts return from space with anemia but the mechanisms causing anemia are not known. During longer space missions to the Gateway, Moon or Mars, astronauts must stay safe from severe anemia. This project aims to address outstanding questions on the mechanism of space anemia. Distinctively, this project will access astronauts taking part in both private as well as space administration missions. Using cryopreserved whole blood samples collected from three international space missions, this project will investigate the subpopulation of hemolyzed red blood cells, hemoglobin gene-switching, specific red blood cell anomalies, and the dose-dependent effects of radiation on space anemia, all using state-of-the-art methods often applied for the first time to space samples.

The Artemis and Lunar Gateway programs have near-term objectives that involve conducting science/research unique to their deep space location, including investigation of the heliosphere and solar wind, space weather, as well as the Lunar plasma environment. Additionally, Canadian Space Strategy objectives include improving the understanding of solar storms and their effects on astronauts and terrestrial infrastructure. The current project aligns with these priorities and involves international collaboration via active missions at the Moon and Mars and merging of spacecraft observational data from THEMIS-Artemis and MAVEN with magnetohydrodynamic simulations using advanced data assimilation/machine learning to better predict and understand the solar wind and Lunar and Martian environments. Outcomes are expected to improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on human activity at Earth and in space.