SpaceQ Space news and analysis.
The National Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand their current collaborative efforts in support of Canada’s space program.
The agreement was signed on Monday, February 17 in Ottawa between Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President Sylvain Laporte and National Research Council (NRC) President Iain Stewart.
The new agreement covers the following areas; Space R&D, development and testing of applications, space technology and systems development, and scientific and technological expertise.
Over the years the two government organizations have collaborated on many initiatives including 37 projects over the last five years.
One of those collaborative projects is MicroPREP. This is a “lab-on-a-chip technology” designed to assess the state of astronaut immune systems, inflammation, bone loss or radiation effects. The small device also has terrestrial benefits and can be used in remote communities.
NRC President Iain Stewart said of the agreement, “the National Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency have a long-standing history of collaboration in space-related research. We are pleased to be formalizing our relationship through this agreement and look forward to continuing the good work we are doing together to help accelerate technological solutions and advance research excellence in space science.”
CSA President Sylvain Laporte offered these comments, “the Canadian Space Agency is proud to collaborate with the National Research Council of Canada. Our respective science and engineering expertise will continue to advance Canadian science and technology to benefit Canadians. These efforts promote Canada’s continued excellence and ingenuity in space and generate solutions to important challenges on Earth.”
