Editor’s Note
Welcome to Issue 18 of the In Defence of Canada Briefing.
If there is one overarching theme to this week’s news, it is that Canada’s orbital security strategy is firmly anchoring itself in allied integration. Leading our coverage this week, Canada officially officially joined two major multinational initiatives at the NATO Summit in Ankara: the STARLIFT responsive launch framework and the HALO mega-constellation project. As our Feature Analysis explores, this hybrid approach allows middle powers like Canada to pool sovereign assets into a highly resilient, multinational network without sacrificing domestic control.
This reliance on shared awareness is driving domestic procurement as well. The Defence Investment Agency has officially issued its RFP for the Surveillance of Space 2 Space Based Optical capability to monitor deep-space threats—a system that will directly feed into international tracking networks. As Nanae Baldauff and Jessica West highlight in this week’s Guest Opinion, these exact niche capabilities position Canada to forge powerful bilateral security partnerships with key Indo-Pacific allies like Japan.
With a new report revealing the Canadian aerospace sector has hit $33.1 billion in GDP with a renewed push toward defence R&D, the domestic industrial base is actively scaling to meet the demands of this deeply integrated global security architecture.
Thanks for reading.
Marc Boucher
Editor-in-Chief
SpaceQ Media Inc.
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The Lead
At the 2026 NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye, Canada officially cemented its role in the alliance’s rapidly expanding space architecture by joining two major multinational initiatives. First, Canada was announced as one of eight founding nations—alongside Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Türkiye—launching the Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space (HALO) project. The ambitious effort aims to link national military satellites into a unified mega-constellation, focusing on the joint procurement of transport satellites and sensors, as well as developing shared software standards.
Concurrently, Canada was officially inducted as the 15th member of NATO’s STARLIFT project. Building on last week’s massive $112.5 million offset deal between Germany’s Isar Aerospace and Spaceport Nova Scotia, STARLIFT is a multinational framework designed to secure short-notice, responsive orbital launch capabilities from allied spaceports to quickly replace damaged assets during a crisis. Together, these dual commitments position Canada at the forefront of NATO’s push for resilient orbital infrastructure.
Read the full report at SpaceQ
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Feature Analysis: Inside HALO’s Blueprint for a Sovereign Mega-Constellation
NATO’s Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space (HALO) initiative, announced at the recent NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, aims to address the vulnerabilities of individual satellite networks through allied integration.
Led by Canada alongside Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Türkiye, HALO is designed to link nationally owned and operated military spacecraft into a shared, interoperable network. Instead of procuring a centralized NATO-owned satellite fleet, this hybrid model allows contributing nations to retain sovereign control over their hardware while sharing the combined coverage and data capacity of a broader constellation.
As NATO Deputy Secretary-General Radmila Šekerinska explained, individual national constellations are “highly vulnerable to targeted cyber-attacks, to jamming or physical destruction, while also being too slow to relay large amounts of data on their own.” By fusing data across the alliance, NATO states that HALO is intended to overcome the “cost, time, and coverage limitations of single-nation satellite fleets” to deliver high-speed communications, intelligence, and missile tracking.
Defense analysts note that HALO’s architecture resembles ongoing U.S. efforts to establish proliferated space data networks. For participating nations like Canada, HALO serves as a mechanism to pool resources and build orbital capacity alongside European partners, creating a multinational alternative to relying strictly on existing American or commercial infrastructure.
As the project moves into the planning phase, the focus will turn to joint procurement. NATO officials confirmed that HALO will prioritize acquiring transport satellites and sensors while simultaneously developing the shared software standards necessary to route classified data across national boundaries.
(Sources: Defense News / Breaking Defense / NATO)
Tactical Briefs
Aerospace Sector Hits $33.1B GDP With Defence Push: The Canadian aerospace industry generated $33.1 billion in GDP and supported 218,700 jobs in 2025, according to a joint AIAC and ISED report. While export activity remains the primary engine of the sector, the report highlights a distinct push to diversify into the defence aerospace segment. With the industry investing over $1.8 billion in R&D over the past year, advocates argue this infrastructure is essential for domestic firms to compete for increasingly complex military space contracts. Read more at SpaceQ
DIA Opens Surveillance of Space 2 Optical RFP: The Defence Investment Agency is officially moving forward with the orbital component of its Surveillance of Space 2 project. The government has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) restricted to Canadian suppliers for Phase A of the Space Based Optical capability. The new system will eventually replace the aging Sapphire satellite (launched in 2013) and pair with ground observatories being built by MDA Space, ensuring constant space domain awareness for the Department of National Defence. Up to three contracts will be awarded, with the RFP closing on September 14, 2026. Read more at SpaceQ
Assessing the Ankara Summit’s Implications for Canada: A new policy paper from the CDA Institute breaks down the fallout of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara. While the summit advanced NATO’s implementation agenda and industrial initiatives, the paper contends it failed to resolve underlying issues of European reliance on American power. For Canada, the paper highlights the costly transition from declaratory promises to actual defense spending, noting the increasing friction between modernizing NORAD and the American “Golden Dome” missile-defence concept. Read more at the CDA Institute
Planet and Metaspectral Team Up for AI Hyperspectral Intelligence: Vancouver-based Metaspectral has formed a partnership with Planet Labs to integrate commercial hyperspectral Earth observation data with its AI Clarity platform. The agreement pairs Planet’s Tanager satellite constellation data with Metaspectral’s AI, allowing enterprise and defence clients to generate auditable, evidence-based reports from complex hyperspectral imagery without requiring specialized remote sensing personnel. The transparent evidence trails are considered a strict requirement for defence intelligence operations. Read more at SpaceQ
C-COM Prepares Phased Array Rollout Despite Legacy Slowdown: C-COM Satellite Systems released its H1 2026 financials, reporting a revenue dip to $1.7 million amid macroeconomic headwinds and geopolitical conflicts suppressing demand for its legacy mechanical parabolic antennas. However, backed by a strong cash position of over $20 million, the company is aggressively funding its strategic pivot. C-COM is nearing commercialization of its proprietary multi-orbit, electronically steerable phased array antennas, a transition management expects will position the firm to secure major sovereign network and defence contracts. Read more at SpaceQ
Global Watch
Global Space Economy Surges as Europe Restores Launch Capacity: The global space economy experienced massive growth in 2025, heavily buoyed by Europe successfully restoring its sovereign medium and heavy-lift launch cadence. The stabilization of European launch services has reduced international payload backlogs and provided NATO allies with a much-needed alternative to U.S.-based spaceports. Read more at SpaceQ
Nature Study Reveals New Method to Spot Orbital Nukes: In a critical breakthrough for arms control, a new study published in Nature outlines a novel method for detecting nuclear weapons stationed in orbit. The technique relies on identifying distinct radiation signatures and atmospheric interactions, providing military planners with a potential new tool to verify compliance with the Outer Space Treaty. Read more at SpaceNews
SpaceX Deploys 21 Military Network Satellites: SpaceX has successfully launched another batch of 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The ongoing deployment is rapidly fleshing out the Pentagon’s resilient, low-Earth orbit military data network. Read more at SpaceNews
Hanwha Philly Shipyard to Build Missile Monitor Ship: In a major shipbuilding contract, the newly revitalized Hanwha Philly Shipyard has been selected to build the Golden Defender, a next-generation missile monitor ship. The vessel will serve as a critical sea-based node for tracking hypersonic and ballistic threats. Read more at Breaking Defense
Schiess Poised for Space Force Chief Confirmation: General Douglas Schiess is expected to easily sail through his Senate confirmation hearings to become the next Chief of Space Operations. However, as a new analysis notes, Schiess will inherit a Space Force grappling with significant growing pains, including acquisition bottlenecks and the challenge of deeply integrating commercial tech into legacy military architectures. Read more at Breaking Defense / Read the Analysis at Breaking Defense
Guest Opinion: The Case for a Canada-Japan Space Security Partnership
In a new brief published by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, researchers Nanae Baldauff and Jessica West argue that the recent elevation of Canada and Japan’s bilateral relationship into a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” offers a prime opportunity to deepen co-operation in space security—specifically in Space Domain Awareness (SDA).
The authors note that bilateral space relations are rapidly shifting from primarily scientific collaboration to explicit security partnerships. By pairing Canada’s niche, targeted SDA contributions (such as the upcoming Surveillance of Space 2 optical network and commercial tracking systems) with Japan’s rapidly expanding space security architecture, the two nations can create a vital bridge between North American and Indo-Pacific security frameworks. Ultimately, they argue that shared awareness is the most practical starting point for building orbital resilience and enforcing norms of responsible behavior in an increasingly contested domain.
Read the full brief at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
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