The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has opted again to fund the CubeSats Initiative in Canada for STEM (CUBICS) program, this time allocating a $2.4 million to support university-led satellite missions.
The goal of the CUBICS program is to provide students with hands-on space science and technology experience. The CSA expects the initiative to help develop a domestic talent pipeline and position graduates as highly sought-after candidates or entrepreneurs within the Canadian space sector. The program also focuses on increasing scientific knowledge and developing new technologies that align with the 2019 Space Strategy for Canada.
Canadian universities and post-secondary institutions have until November 19, 2026, at 4 p.m. Eastern to submit proposals for the grant program. The initiative tasks academic teams with designing, building, testing, launching and operating a small satellite in low-Earth orbit.
The 2026 iteration updates the two-tiered funding structure to accommodate both entry-level and experienced academic teams.
Stream 1 offers a maximum grant of $650,000 over four years for teams building a 6U CubeSat. This larger format provides significantly more volume and mass for research payloads. Stream 2 offers up to $350,000 over three years for standard CubeSat formats up to 3U. The CSA anticipates funding two Stream 1 projects and up to seven Stream 2 projects.
Eligibility is restricted to Canadian universities and post-secondary institutions. To qualify for the larger Stream 1 grants, the primary applicant must collaborate with a co-investigator from a different academic institution. The CSA designed this requirement to pair experienced aerospace engineering schools with institutions building their initial space science capacity. The partner team must provide at least one payload for the 6U bus.
All proposed missions must comply with federal radiocommunication regulations and orbital debris mitigation requirements. The agency intends to procure launch opportunities for successful projects in the 500 to 620 kilometre altitude range between three and four years after the project start date.
Current outcome of the 2022 CUBICS program
As teams prepare their submissions it’s worth noting the status of the 2022 program. Nine projects, all 3U CubeSats, were selected with $3.15 million in funding over three years. In May 2025 the CSA signed a contract with Berlin based satellite integrator Exolaunch to facilitate the launch of the CubeSats.
To date, the University of Victoria’s MARMOTSat, is the only satellite to launch, and that was on the July 7, 2026 SpaceX Transporter-17 rideshare mission. Two other entries, Ex-Alta 3 from the University of Alberta and PRESET from McMaster University were candidates to fly on Transporter-17 but ultimately didn’t make the manifest and could be on the Transporter-18 mission no earlier than October. As to the other CubeSats, there is no public date yet announced for their launch.
The CSA has also made it known that a 2029 edition of the CUBICS program is a possibility.
2022 CUBICS awards and launch status
| Institution | Project | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta | Ex-Alta 3: Measuring ice and snow coverage | TBA (candidate for Transporter-18, Q4 2026) |
| Concordia University Montreal, Quebec | SC-FREYR: Integrating AI for satellite image processing and improving performance and robustness of CubeSats | TBA |
| Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia | STEM engagement through satellite development and observations | TBA |
| University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba | ArcticSat: Making space accessible for Arctic climate change research | TBA |
| McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario | PRESET: A CubeSat mission for spectrometry of charged particles | TBA (candidate for Transporter-18, Q4 2026) |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador | MUNStar-1: A CubeSat for ocean monitoring in support of climate change adaptation | TBA |
| University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | RADSAT-SK2: New radiation mitigating technologies for computer hardware in space | TBA |
| Western University London, Ontario | The Western Skylark: a 3U CubeSat for next-generation tracking of migratory wildlife using the Motus and ICARUS telemetry systems | TBA |
| University of Victoria Victoria, British Columbia | MARMOTSat: Space-based Earth, oceans and atmosphere imaging CubeSat | Launched July 7, 2026 on SpaceX Transporter-17 |