Next week, the annual SpaceBound conference, hosted by Canada’s national space industry association, Space Canada, will gather in Ottawa to discuss the state of the space economy. This year, there will be a heightened emphasis on space defence.
The federal budget released last week included $81.8 billion over five years for the Department of National Defence (DND) with $182.6 million over three years to establish a sovereign space launch capability.
At the same time, Canada is preparing for astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s trip to the Moon on the Artemis II mission next year, Joshua Kutryk’s long-duration stay on the International Space Station (ISS), the development of the lunar Gateway, and a Canadian-built lunar rover.
Looking at those remarkable efforts from the outside it might seem Canada’s civil space program is moving at a good pace. And yes, Canada has several programs moving forward. But, being a second tier space power, Canada has relied heavily on international partnerships for its big programs. In particular, the ISS, moon programs and Earth observation.
All of these larger efforts, and what comes next, are in part reliant on what happens in the United States.
Needed: A new space strategy
We’ve chronicled Canadian space strategy since the beginning of this publication and every long-term plan since the onset of Canada’s space program.
At this point one would suspect that Canada’s National Space Council would be a good place for discussion of a long-term plan. That might be the case but the Council hasn’t posted a public update since its inception in May 2024. Perhaps the change in leadership in the Liberal party and its new mandate have changed the dynamic of whether the Council will still exist. In the absence of information I can’t comment on what, if anything, the Council is doing or not doing. We’ve reached out the CSA and will post an updated as soon as we know more.
What we do know is that while Canada has opted to release space strategies, it no longer releases long term plans.
The last space strategy to be released was in 2019. It was titled Exploration, Imagination, Innovation – A New Space Strategy for Canada. Since that release, nothing new on a national space strategy. This was noted in a June 2022 paper by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute titled Revitalizing Canada’s Visions for Space. The conclusion? “A true Canadian national space policy, strategy and plan are still missing.”
With the ascendance of President Trump and his America First strategy, Canada must reevaluate its space strategy and plan for a future that is less reliant on other nations. Canada must emphasize sovereign capabilities with a balanced program that still includes international partnerships and exports.
And while we know a new Defense Industrial Strategy is on the way which will include space elements, we don’t know if a new space strategy is on the way that takes into account the ongoing rapid changes to the global space landscape.
The SpaceBound conference will be the first opportunity since the budget came out to hear from government leaders. And several will be in attendance to the now sold-out event. Might we hear something new?
One last thought. Canada used to take the time and create long term space plans. A future column will examine why it should consider the creation of a long term space plan and not just a strategy.
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