The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) planned spending for its upcoming fiscal year which starts on April 1, 2021 has been set at $403.6 million, a 2.2% increase over the previous year. A new priority this year is the CSA’s Contribution to COVID-19 Economic Recovery while another, Space-Based Earth-Observation and Climate Change Science, is expanded from last year.
At first glance, this years CSA planned spending contains few surprises. Canada’s lunar ambitions are moving forward as expected, and the lunar program is still listed as the number one priority.
The new Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, states in part that “throughout 2021–22, the CSA will continue to implement Canadian Space Strategy: Exploration, Imagination, Innovation, which will help ensure that Canadians are ready to take advantage of the jobs of tomorrow, while enabling our space industry and academic institutions to be part of the new space economy. Thanks to the unique opportunities that space provides, the investments that the Government of Canada we are making in space will contribute to Canada emerging from COVID-19 with strength and resilience. Canada will also continue to partner with NASA on the Lunar Gateway — a project that will see humans return to the moon and set the stage for further exploration to Mars — through the contribution of the next-generation Canadarm3. This contribution will earn Canada two flights for Canadian astronauts to the Moon. The first flight is scheduled on Artemis II in 2023.”
CSA 2021-22 Priorities
Priority 1 — Lunar Program
In 2021–22, Canadian industry will continue the technical definition of Canadarm3, our country’s contribution to the US-led Lunar Gateway initiative and the centrepiece of Canada’s Space Strategy, while also defining the socio-economic benefits anticipated from this major investment. This contribution will earn Canada two flights for Canadian astronauts to the Moon and the first flight is scheduled on Artemis II in 2023. The CSA’s Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) will also continue to put together the science, technology and commercial building blocks that will enable Canada to seize opportunities and make Canada a partner of choice for space exploration. As the current Chair of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, Canada will work with 26 international space agency partners to coordinate future lunar and Mars exploration activities. As part of renewed international focus on sustainable human presence on the Moon, in 2021–22 the CSA will continue to conduct advanced studies on potential Canadian contributions to lunar surface exploration.
Priority 2 — Engage Young Canadians: Junior Astronauts
Through the Junior Astronauts campaign, the CSA was successful in engaging with over 58,000 youth in every province and territory of Canada until the COVID-19 pandemic forced school closures and travel restrictions. In summer 2021, the Junior Astronauts campaign will culminate with selected youth in grades 6 to 9 from across Canada taking part in Junior Astronauts Camp activities remotely, with CSA astronauts, scientists, and engineers.
Priority 3 — Space-Based Earth-Observation and Climate Change Science
The economic potential of space-based data has grown significantly in recent years. In 2021–22, the CSA, working collaboratively with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), will continue to lead the whole-of-government space-based Earth Observation (SBEO) initiative to define strategic investments, flexible programming, and strong partnerships with stakeholders from across the Government of Canada as well as industry and academia, to best deliver data that meets the needs of the community and government priorities such as climate change. Work will continue to better define and evaluate potential missions (upstream) and data management infrastructure (midstream) for data exploitation and uptake (downstream).
In 2021–22, the CSA will pursue multiple SBEO and climate change science activities. For example, an assessment of Canada’s potential contribution to NASA’s Aerosol — Clouds, Convection, Precipitation (A-CCP) mission, which will lead to improved forecasts of extreme weather events and air quality. With regards to improving climate projections; in 2021–22, the CSA will continue work on WildFireSat, a satellite equipped with infrared technology to monitor active wildfires from space; and smartEarth, an application development funding initiative that fosters an intelligent use of satellite data to develop solutions to key challenges on Earth, including those arising from climate change.
Priority 4 — CSA’s Contribution to COVID-19 Economic Recovery
Thanks to the unrivalled opportunities that space provides for Canadians, the CSA is well placed to contribute to Canada’s economy emerging from COVID-19 in a strong and resilient position through investments in the space sector and academia. In 2021–22, the CSA will continue to reprioritize some of its activities and funding, through programs such as the Space Capacity Development Program (SCDP), to provide further short-term support to the Canadian space sector and academic institutions during these difficult times. These investments will provide relief for economic hardships to Canada’s firms and space scientists and allow them to maintain their capabilities during the pandemic and also conduct additional innovative research and development projects that will better position Canada to take advantage of the economic recovery.
A note on the Space Technology Development Program
In the planned results section, there are two paragraphs related to the Space Technology Development Program (STDP). They are in Result 1 — Space research and development advance science and technology and Result 4 — Canada’s investments in space benefit the Canadian economy. I bring this up as the language used by the CSA to describe the investments made in the STDP program uses the word “wave(s).”
“In 2021–22, the CSA will launch the next wave of the Space Technology Development Program (STDP) investments in promising technologies to advance science and technology. These investments will lead to the development of new cutting-edge space technologies for the future and ensure Canada remains a leading space faring nation.”
“Through the STDP funding initiative, the CSA will launch other waves of investments to support the development of space exploration and EO-related technologies needed for future space missions and improve the commercial potential of innovative ones.”
It sounds wonderful. However, characterizing STDP as “waves of investments” is misleading. In speaking with several companies, they all agree that the STDP program is good, though its scope is still too limited in the current innovation cycle, and importantly underfunded. The CSA’s grants and contributions planned spending for 2021-22 is $40.823 million. That includes about $20 million usually earmarked for the STDP program.
I’ll note the Emerson Report for the 2011 Aerospace Review concluded in part that “total funding for the Canadian Space Agency’s technology development programs be raised by $10 million per year for each of the next three years, and that it be maintained at that level.” The government at the time responded by saying it would reach the $20 million level by 2015-16. And there it has stayed. This despite inflation, and the governments innovation agenda. You’ll note that in real purchasing power and with an annual inflation rate of 1.78% between 2015 and 2021 (Bank of Canada), that the value of the $20 million has gone down by just over 10%.
The STDP is just one example of how the civil space program isn’t matching investments by other nations trying to innovate through space. There are others. Canada is playing catch up, again. You can read Canadian Space Agency president’s Lisa Campbell’s recent testimony before the Industry Committee for acknowledgment of this fact. This despite the fact that the government and the CSA heap praise for its lunar program. That program it should be noted is supposed to be funded over 25 years, over successive governments. Break down $2.05 billion over that period of time and the funding doesn’t look as substantial as it appears.
I’ll also note that this years contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA) is planned at $53.8 million. While that money does facilitate Canadian organizations to bid and participate in certain ESA projects, it does not always encompass innovative ideas Canadian organizations want to pursue. The ESA participation is a good, and funds for that area should not be diminished. However, based on the companies SpaceQ has spoken with, additional money for innovative technologies should be allocated in the STDP budget.