Grants and Contributions

Space-based laser communication technologies offer significant reductions in size, mass and power compared to other space-based telecommunications technology, while increasing the capacity for high-speed, data-rich transmissions. This means that incredibly data-intensive payloads can be flown on even smaller spacecraft.

Neptec will develop a prototype of a low-Earth-orbit-to-ground optical communication pointing and tracking subsystem. The prototype will provide critical insight into technical unknowns required to develop future designs for the spacecraft needing an optical communications system (called a space optical terminal) and for future Canadian Space Agency science satellite projects.

Hyperspectral imaging, which processes the electromagnetic properties of each pixel in the frame of an image, can be used to identify the materials that make up a scanned object or environment. Air and space-borne hyperspectral instruments, which often use Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor arrays, are fundamental to Earth observation processes.

ITRES Research proposes to design a high-performance CMOS sensor array with 3,000 across-track pixels, twice the size of current state of the art CMOS focal plane arrays (FPAs). Earth observation payload designs currently require two CMOS focal plane arrays to achieve the required across-track swath. This project initiates the development of a CMOS focal plane array that can meet the same performance criteria as current FPAs, while also meeting the spatial swath needs of Canada's Earth observation community.

Earth's magnetosphere contains ionized particles that can cause damage to electrical systems in spacecraft.

DPL Science has developed the Dielectric Deep Charge Monitor (DDCM) to warn of possible deep charging in spacecraft. This project aims to develop multiple sample measurement capabilities in the DDCM and to allow the DDCM to be incorporated into radiation monitoring suites. This project will also work to upgrade DPL Science's Spacecraft Power Module to withstand radiation encountered between 2,000 km and 35,786 km from Earth's equator, which will greatly increase potential applications for the module.

Recent advancements in actuators, sensor technology, and virtual reality (VR) systems are allowing researchers to make significant strides to improve the dexterity and speed of robotic manipulators. Despite this, substantial opportunity remains to improve control interfaces and manipulators that are slow, unintuitive, and significantly less dextrous than the human body.

Averro Robotics and Technology will develop an intuitive, easy-to-wear control interface for manipulating dual robotic arms. The control interface will provide haptic feedback to the operator and allow for the robot's “vision” to be experienced using VR, providing an unparalleled sense of immersion and depth perception for the operator. This technology will significantly improve operator safety in several environments including space exploration, spacecraft repair, explosive ordinance disposal, military operations, offshore and underwater environments, confined spaces, and other hazardous locations. This revolutionary, immersive technology is expected to allow remote tasks to be accomplished faster, more safely, and with less user training than other systems.

Companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint often struggle to accurately measure their emissions. GHGSat developed a technology that measures gas emissions from industrial facilities from space. In 2016, GHGSat successfully launched its first nanosatellite and is now looking to expand and launch two more nanosatellites.

GHGSat will partner with Sinclair Interplanetary and Xiphos System Corporation to demonstrate the Darkstar-Q8 optical downlink system, which is expected to improve the downlink capacity of GHGSat's satellites, thus enabling monitoring capacity up to 10 times more than its current system, providing more greenhouse gas measurement opportunities for industrial facilities around the world, and reducing GHGSat's cost per measurement.

The Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation developed an Image-Guided Automated Robot (IGAR) designed to carry out automated, preplanned, imaging-technology-guided surgical procedures. IGAR's medical procedures have proven to be equivalent in precision, comfort, and time with less pain and better cosmetic outcomes than the standard manual procedure.

This feasibility study proposes to merge IGAR with the IBM Watson Cognitive Computing System, allowing Watson to plan and control the execution of IGAR's surgical tasks. This will be the first demonstration of a fully autonomous medical robotic system in the world. This technology would be vitally important to the future of human space exploration and colonization, as well as improve quality and access to health care on Earth.

There are around 20,000 human-made Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in orbit around Earth. This includes functioning satellites, as well as non-functional pieces of debris, and these numbers are continuing to rise. It is important to track the location of RSOs in order to prevent potential collisions and damage to functioning satellites. Currently, only small portions of the sky can be monitored by space-based RSO detectors, and Earth-based detectors are limited by cloud cover and daylight cycles.

Magellan Aerospace proposes to adapt commercial star trackers, a type of sensor used for high-accuracy pointing in satellites, to detect and track RSOs. Using star trackers is an attractive solution, since almost every satellite in orbit could contribute to the RSO database using existing onboard hardware with no interruption to the satellite's main mission. This technology would greatly enrich the RSO monitoring database and can lead to reduced incidence of RSO collisions through improved monitoring and early warnings.

Understanding how physiological signals behave in extreme conditions could lead to monitoring systems that would improve the health and safety of astronauts during future long-duration exploration-class missions. A wearable monitoring system would serve as a constant diagnostic tool that could detect meaningful physiological changes and inform the user.

The objective of this project is to investigate the feasibility of developing a wearable monitoring platform for extreme environments and to collect a physiological data set to form a baseline for a broad array of contexts. The development of such monitoring technologies would not only change how the space domain deals with the health and safety of astronauts, but could also transform sectors on Earth such as medical care, defence and aviation.

The OneWeb satellite constellation will bring affordable broadband Internet access to the world. The satellites are expected to spend five years in operation before deorbiting using internal propulsion systems.

MDA will collaborate with OneWeb to conduct a feasibility study identifying a cost-effective design for an Active Debris Removal (ADR) system using flight-proven, robotic capture technology. This capacity will be an important development for the safety of satellite operations and the reduction of debris orbiting Earth.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the intersection of sensors, connectivity, and powerful data analytics used to collect and exchange data for various purposes, including business decisions. For industries with global operations – such as shipping and logistics, natural resource exploration, or transportation – the high cost of satellite connectivity prevents IoT solutions from being deployed and providing economic and business improvements.

Kepler will develop low-cost antenna technology – a reconfigurable reflect array – for satellite communications. This technology will enable mobile communications with a low-cost satellite network, and facilitate connectivity for millions of IoT devices.