The CSA is Looking for a Launch Service Provider

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a launch service provider for the CubeSats Initiative in Canada for STEM (CUBICS) program.

The CUBICS program is a follow-on to the Canadian CubeSat Project which saw 14 CubeSats from across Canada deployed from the International Space Station using the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer.

For this RFP the CSA it is seeking “a Sun-Synchronous orbit launch service provider for CubeSats. University teams from across Canada are designing, building and will operate their CubeSats largely through the CSA CUBICS 2022 Announcement of Opportunity. The resulting contract from this RFP will involve providing technical expertise with regards to CubeSat development, integrating CubeSats in the contractor’s deployer, manifesting CubeSats for launch and coordinating all activities for successful orbital deployment.”

In June of 2023 the CSA selected nine university led projects for launch through the CUBICS program. They are:

• University of Alberta – Ex-Alta 3: Measuring ice and snow coverage.
• Concordia University – SC-FREYR: Integrating AI for satellite image processing and improving performance and robustness of CubeSats.
• Dalhousie University – STEM engagement through satellite development and observations.
• University of Manitoba – IceCube: Making space accessible for Arctic climate change research.
• McMaster University – PRESET: A CubeSat mission for spectrometry of charged particles.
• Memorial University of Newfoundland – Killick-2: A CubeSat for ocean monitoring in support of climate change adaptation.
• University of Saskatchewan – RADSAT-SK2: New radiation mitigating technologies for computer hardware in space.
• Western University – The Western Skylark: a 3U CubeSat for next-generation tracking of migratory wildlife using the Motus and ICARUS telemetry systems.
• University of Victoria – SKYA’ANAsat: Space-based Earth, oceans and atmosphere imaging CubeSat.

The RFP has a deadline of September 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM EDT. The contract length when awarded is 29 months.