New Canadian Space Strategy Released

Today Minister Bains unveiled the new Canadian space strategy titled Exploration, Imagination, Innovation – A New Space Strategy for Canada.

The 22 page document (PDF) which you can read below, discusses the Case for Space and then breaks down the strategy into five areas.

The opening of the Case for Space states “Canada is a nation defined by its bold efforts in space. We have a rich history of making forward-looking commitments to leverage space science, technology and exploration to improve the lives of Canadians, and answer fundamental questions about our planet and its place in the cosmos.”

In his remarks at the TELUS World of Science in Edmonton Mr. Bains said that the space strategy was a team effort, and praised in particular the efforts of the Space Advisory Board.

The new strategy does not include any new funding. The big funding announcement for the moon initiatives came last week.

What’s in the strategy

The document includes the following Vision Statement “Canada recognizes the space sector is a strategic national asset and seeks to ensure Canada remains a spacefaring nation. Looking forward, Canada seeks to create a vibrant and sustainable space sector anchored by a whole-of-government effort that sets a new vision for Canadian space exploration, sees increased partnership with industry to create the jobs of the future, leverages the power of space to inspire youth, and harnesses the potential of space to solve everyday challenges for Canadians while unlocking the secrets of our universe.”

Each section is broken down to relevant strategies.

1. Ensure Canada remains a leading spacefaring nation by joining the Lunar Gateway mission.
2. Inspire the Next Generation of Canadians to reach for the stars.
3. Harness space to solve everyday challenges for Canadians.
4. Position Canada’s commercial space sector to help grow the economy and create the jobs of the future.
5. Ensure Canada’s leadership in acquiring and using space-based data to support science excellence, innovation and economic growth.

Many of the points in the new strategy were in an exclusive article published by SpaceQ earlier today.

Here are the points in each section.

Ensure Canada remains a leading spacefaring nation by joining the Lunar Gateway mission

• Build the next-generation AI-enabled deep-space robotic system.
• Enable scientific opportunities and global partnerships.
• Guarantee the future of our astronaut program.

Inspire the Next Generation of Canadians to reach for the stars

• Launch a national contest to recruit Canada’s “junior astronauts”.
• Organize visits by astronauts and other inspiring speakers to schools across Canada.

Harness space to solve everyday challenges for Canadians

• Connecting Canadians everywhere.
• Enhancing security and sovereignty.
• Improving remote medicine and health care.
• Enhancing access to nutritious food.
• Supporting future secure communications.

Position Canada’s commercial space sector to help grow the economy and create the jobs of the future

• Create a modern regulatory framework.
• Cement and expand our international partnerships.
• Help our space firms start up and scale up.
• Partner with industry to make investments and create jobs here in Canada.

Ensure Canada’s leadership in acquiring and using space-based data to support science excellence, innovation and economic growth

• Collecting climate change data.
• Prioritizing future Earth observation capabilities.
• Supporting excellence in data analytics.
• Supporting space science to study Earth and beyond.