Grants and Contributions

ORCA²Sat will develop and test new advancements in technology to better understand “dark energy”, and enigmatic form of energy making up 75% of the universe believed to cause the universe to expand at an accelerating rate. Operating with two payloads, this CubeSat will calibrate a number of both optical and radio observatories in an effort to reduce uncertainties associated with measurements of the universal expansion rate. These calibrated measurements may provide new insights into the nature of dark energy and the universal expansion rate.

ORCA²Sat is to be developed in collaboration with Simon Frasier University, the University of British Colombia, the Technical University of Lisbon in Portugal, Harvard University in the USA, the National Research Council, and Space Systems Loral based in the USA.

Dalhousie University CubeSat (DUCS) will test a new CubeSat frame made out of lightweight metal which will provide better space navigation capabilities for future CubeSats. It will as well validate the use of onboard solar energy and battery storage technology to power a stabilization wheel that will better control the position of the satellite's instruments.

DUCS will be developed in collaboration with IMP Aerospace and Xeos Technologies, Inc.

Killick-1 will test an existing technology designed to monitor oceans (sea-ice detection and concentration estimation) and fit it on the smaller CubeSat frame, which could lead to cheaper solutions to monitor and collect data on our oceans.

Killick-1 will be developed in collaboration with Newfoundland-based C-Core and the University of Prince Edward Island.

The Experimental Albertan Satellite #2 (Ex-Alta 2) will expand an open-source platform to include accessible, open-source satellite software, electronic, and mechanical designs to increase Canadian and world access to space. The CubeSat will test an imaging instrument designed to collect information for predicting, tracking, and monitoring the impact of wildfire on vegetation and land. It will also fly a flux-gate magnometer, an instrument designed to monitor and better understand the effects of space weather on our communications systems.

The CubeSat will be developed in collaboration with Aurora College, Yukon College, the University of Calgary, the University of Saskatchewan, York University, the University of Oslo in Norway, von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in Belgium and the University of Iowa in the USA.

Concordia's CHIRad-Sat will test an imaging instrument to collect data on dust measurements and will study the effect of climate change in the Kluane Lake region. The CubeSat will also evaluate the viability of a new electronic component that shows better resistance to the harsh conditions of space and that could improve the cost-effectiveness and performance of future CubeSat computers.

CHIRad-Sat will be developed in collaboration with the Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble (France), the University of Montreal and Let's Talk Science. Industrial participation such as Quebec-based MDA, MPB Communications, Ontarian-based Mission Control Space Services, Kalray S.A. (France), Spectrum Aerospace Group (Germany), will additionally collaborate with Concordia University.

AuroraSat will promote and share Indigenous culture across Canada through northern images, a project that will take northern art to space, where pictures of various pieces will be taken with Earth in the background. The CubeSat will also promote and share Indigenous culture across Canada through northern voices; engage amateur radio across the country with stories and messages in Indigenous languages. It will additionally be promoted through games by creating a globally interactive game for amateur radio operators. Special recordings played only in certain geographic zones will require global cooperation in order to decode a whole message. Messages and content will be developed on the subjects of northern Indigenous history and language.

The Aurora Research Institute of Aurora College will be collaborating with Yukon College, the University of Alberta, Nunavut Artic College, University of Alberta North and the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure to create their CubeSat.

For example, students could learn about instrumentation, signal processing and data analysis methods while completing an activity to map earth's magnetic forces using GPS and magnetometer data from a satellite built by their peers.

The objectives of this grant is to allow participation of a Canadian scientist to the JAXA XRISM science team.

The objectives of this project is to measure the transmission of X-rays through the optical blocking filters that will be placed at the entrance aperture of the Resolve micro-calorimeter spectrometer on XRISM. The project science includes participation to extragalactic diffuse x-ray emission team, data analyses and publications.

SpudNik-1 will develop and test an imaging system for precision agriculture. The system will be able to capture precise soil and crop data (texture, topography, moisture content, weed and disease infestations, crop damage, etc.) as well as verify the effectiveness of herbicide and fungicide applications, monitor physical damage due to insects, inundation, wind and hail, and schedule an irrigation plan. The goal is to develop better monitoring systems to promote greater sustainability.

The University of Prince Edward Island will be collaborating with the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia as well as the Newfoundland based company C-CORE.