The Canadian Space Agency has awarded 10 non-repayable contributions totalling $4.5 million to eight companies under the Space Technology Development Program AO 6. These awards follow a June 29 announcement of 14 awards to eight companies valued at $9 million. Between the two announcements there have been 24 awards totalling $13.5 million.
We’ll take a closer look at some of the contracts and technologies that have been funding in the coming weeks. But at a glance, there are some interesting technologies announced in the combined two recent STPD AO 6 awards.
Three companies working on different approaches to launching payloads received a total of over $2.3 million in awards.
- Reaction Dynamics received $1.5 million for two contracts including the “development of a full-scale rocket engine demonstrator for an orbital launch vehicle.”
- C6 Launch Systems received a follow-on contract valued at $383,377 for their STARS (Space Transmission and Reception System) small satellite launcher communications system. C6 just recently opened up about their business in a feature we published earlier this week.
- SpaceRyde is developing small payload launch capability from a hybrid balloon-rocket system. They were awarded $500,000 for the development of a lightweight rocket nozzle.
Also of note, GHGSat received two awards for a total of $1.25 million for a Constellation Mission Experimental Payloads and Pointing Mirror for Wide-Angle Fabry-Perot Spectrometer.
The CSA also funded a space debris removal technology feasibility study by Obruta Space Solutions Corp.
The Space Technology Development Program AO 6 categories and list of awards
The STDP AO 6 was announced on August 12, 2019. It has five categories.
- AO 6.1 Space R&D – Advanced technologies: Non-repayable contributions of up to $1 million for R&D space projects with the potential of economic benefits in the short to medium term, between 2 and 5 years. Initial technology readiness level (TRL) for these projects is expected to be TRL 4 or TRL 5.
- AO 6.2 Space R&D – Small businesses: Non-repayable contributions of up to $250,000 for R&D space projects carried out by small businesses.
- AO 6.3 Space R&D – Feasibility studies: Non-repayable contributions of up to $100,000 for feasibility studies related to space system design projects for technologies with strong commercial potential.
- AO 6.4 Space R&D – Next wave technologies: Non-repayable contributions of up to $500,000 for R&D space projects with the potential of economic benefits in the medium to long term, between 5 and 10 years.
- AO 6.5 Space R&D – Suborbital Capability Demonstration: Non-repayable contributions of up to $300,000 for R&D space projects with the potential of economic benefits in the short to medium term, between 2 and 5 years.
It should be noted the CSA postponed A0 6.5 in January, the Suborbital Capability Demonstration. No reason was given.
The latest contracts announced include:
AO 6.1 Space R&D – Advanced technologies
- GHGSat Inc. ($1,000,000) – Montreal, Quebec: Constellation Mission Experimental Payloads.
- C6 Launch Systems ($383,377) – Toronto, Ontario: C6 STARS (Space Transmission and Reception System) towards technology readiness level (TRL)-6.
- Menya Solution Inc. ($639,112.50) – Sherbrooke, Quebec: Autonomy-Enabling Technology for future Space Robotics.
- Maya Heat Transfer Technologies Ltd. ($250,015) – Montreal, Quebec: Rapid Thermal Model Correlation of Spacecraft using the Adjoint Method.
- Maya Heat Transfer Technologies Ltd. ($300,000) – Montreal, Quebec: Thermal Modeling of Heat Pipes and Loop Heat Pipes.
- Laboratoire Reaction Dynamics ($1,000,000) – Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec: Development of a full-scale rocket engine demonstrator for an orbital launch vehicle.
AO 6.2 Space R&D – Small businesses
- Good Vibrations Engineering Ltd. ($67,497) – King City, Ontario: FMS Matlab Simulator Update based on test data from 3rd prototype.
- GHGSat Inc. ($250,000) – Montreal, Quebec: Pointing Mirror for Wide-Angle Fabry-Perot Spectrometer.
AO 6.3 Space R&D – Feasibility studies
- Obruta Space Solutions Corp. ($99,565) – Ottawa, Ontario: Novel Multi-Target Space Debris Removal Technology Feasibility Study.
AO 6.4 Space R&D – Low Technology Readiness Level
- SpaceRyde Inc. ($500,000) – Richmond, Ontario: Development of a lightweight rocket nozzle.