Business

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded just over $15 million in funding to 25 companies for its Space Technology Development Program (STDP).

The Union of Concerned Scientists has released its latest update on the number of active satellites in orbit which now number over 2000, double what was in orbit just six years ago.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine announced yesterday that Maxar Technologies had been selected to build the first element of the Lunar Gateway, the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). The win for Maxar continues a solid month of May which has seen its stock rise 57%, though it is still down significantly from where it was a year ago.

Canadian Space Agency president Sylvain Laporte was in Washington yesterday to speak at the Space Transportation Association and meet NASA officials. During his luncheon talk he stated Canada is considering accelerating its schedule in contributing to NASA’s lunar gateway.

NASA is looking at how it can further commercialize its activities. To that end, in August of 2018 it created the Regulatory and Policy Issues Committee as part of its Advisory Council.

President Trump has decided that NASA should send American astronauts to land on the moon within five years. It is a risky political decision that could negatively affect the American space program.

Yesterday Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh announced that it had been contracted by Toronto area company Canadensys to deliver payloads to the surface of the moon.

If you’re an individual or organization who has an idea for a mission, technology or instrument for the moon, now is the time to make it known. That in part, is the message the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is sending out in its latest call for ideas.

The RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) satellites were packed up and transported from Montreal to Palo Alto, California in preparation for their launch. They travelled the 4,800 km journey by way of a custom modified trailer owned by International Machine Transport (IMT), specialists in transporting these kinds of cargo.

This week NASA released its budget amendment to account for the Trump administration’s desire to accelerate the country’s plan to land humans on the moon in 2024 instead of 2028. The new plan has created problems for NASA’s international partners who are scrambling to see what it means for them. Canada is no exception.