Tag Archives: Remote Sensing Space Systems Act

Moving the needle for Canadian space regulation and licensing

This is a Mosaic of Canada which is made from 121 images captured by Canadian satellite RADARSAT-2.

Changes to the space regulatory environment in Canada, including the Remote Sensing Space Systems Act (RSSSA), has and will continue to take time. To provide some insight into the process, we present the following update from Michelle Mendes from the Satellite Canada Innovation Network (SatCan) who was a member of the RSSSA Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee.

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Dramatic changes needed – Review of the Remote Sensing Space Systems Act released

Canada in Space

Back in 2018, SpaceQ asked "can the RSSSA (Remote Sensing Space Systems Act) keep up with the growing smallsat community?" Now, in 2022, a new comprehensive report mandated by law and produced by Space Strategies Consulting Ltd (SSCL) indicates the answer is "only with dramatic changes.” This page is for subscribers only. Already a subscriber? Log in. Fact-driven space news, columns, business, policy, technology and …

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Space Strategies Consulting to conduct next review of Canada’s Remote Sensing Space Systems Act

Northern Land Cover of Canada – Circa 2000

The government of Canada is mandated by law to conduct an independent review of the Remote Sensing Space Systems Act (RSSSA), Canada's de facto "space law," every five years. This time, the Ottawa based consulting company Space Strategies Consulting Ltd. (SSCL) has been selected. The previous two reviews were conducted by the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University. This page is for …

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Global Affairs Canada releases RSSSA regulatory guide

This is a Mosaic of Canada which is made from 121 images captured by Canadian satellite RADARSAT-2.

As we previously mentioned, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has been working on two guides related to the Remote Sensing Space Systems Act (RSSSA). The effort has been part of a larger process to enact regulatory reform to deal with the current reality of a fast growing space sector. The first of those guides has now been published. This page is for subscribers only. Already a …

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First Canadian space regulatory reform guides coming shortly

This is a Mosaic of Canada which is made from 121 images captured by Canadian satellite RADARSAT-2.

In 2017 the second independent review of the Remote Sensing Space Systems Act (RSSA) was published. The report outlined its findings and recommendations providing a path forward to modernizing the RSSSA. Now, almost four years later, SpaceQ has learned that the first two space regulatory reform guides are set to be published, likely this month. This page is for subscribers only. Already a subscriber? Log …

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Global Affairs Canada remote sensing act circular forthcoming

Northern Land Cover of Canada – Circa 2000

At the Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing, Global Affairs Canada provided an update on their review and analysis of the two independent reviews (2012, 2017) of the Remote Sensing Space Systems Act. As some of you may recall SpaceQ had an exclusive story on the second review which was published in April 2017. This page is for subscribers only. Already a subscriber? Log in. Fact-driven …

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Notice of Interest: Space Regulatory Roundtable

Canada in Space

SpaceQ is considering hosting a Space Regulatory Roundtable in early to mid-September, likely in Ottawa, to bring the space community together for a one day forum to discuss the space regulatory environment in Canada and the potential for regulatory reform during the next government mandate.

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Planet and KSAT Licensing Issue Enters 22nd Month

The new commercial ground station built by New North Networks

Recently at the Canadian SmallSat Symposium both Planet and KSAT threatened to pull ground station assets out of Canada by June 1 if progress hadn’t been made in approving their licenses. Then news came from New North Networks, the company which manages the ground station infrastructure in Inuvik, that they had heard from Global Affairs Canada and that an approval of sorts had been received. …

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