The SpaceRef Canada Top Ten Space Stories of 2016

There were plenty of stories to choose from in selecting what were the Top Ten stories on SpaceRef Canada this past year. Included in the list is a story we just published on the Canada – European Union free trade deal which senior space industry people are concerned about.

We selected stories based on how popular they were, feedback and editorial input. Here’s the list:

10. Op-Ed – A Need for Canadian Space Access

Tyler Reyno of Open Space Orbital Inc. penned this opinion piece in February regarding the lack of indigenous access to space. It’s a sentiment echoed by some in the Canadian space community, though not within successive governments.

“Since the beginning, man has yearned to venture into the cosmos, which is a difficult achievement without access to space. Such is the attitude and position of Canada within the global space industry.”

9. Canada Sets Its Gaze on the Deep-Space ‘Horizon’

Anais Voski writes about the Canadian Space Agency’s desire to to look at three specific technologies for Beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) exploration.

“If Canada is to contribute to the next steps in space exploration, […] we need to start investigating our options now, building on our strengths in robotics, optical sensors and other technologies,” says CSA’s Director of Space Exploration Gilles Leclerc.

8. Canadian Space Agency President Signals New Dialogue with Stakeholders [With Video]

The Canadian Space Commerce Association held its first Canadian SmallSat Symposium this past February and Canadian Space Agency president Sylvain Laporte took the opportunity to reinforce his and the governments message that “when we tall about new government, talk about new leadership in a number of organizations, I think all of us that are new, and I can still say that until March [unintelligible], what we do share is a common interest to engage in (a) more intense level of collaboration, of discussion, of dialogue going forward.”

7. Op Ed – The Government Should Support Canada Becoming a Small Satellite Manufacturing Hub

SpaceRef Canada Editor-in-Chief penned this opinion on why Canadian government wasn’t doing more to spur innovation in the small satellite market which is estimated to be worth more than $22 billion over the next 10 years.

6. Report Recommends that Canada Should Recognize Space as a Component in its Critical National Infrastructure

The Canada – UK Colloquium issued its report earlier this an included among other notable recommendations, that “Canada should recognize Space as a component in its Critical National Infrastructure” and that “in the UK and elsewhere Space is an acknowledged part of the Critical National Infrastructure, this is not the case in Canada.”

5. OneWeb Could Make 100% Broadband Coverage to Remote Canadian Communities Available and Affordable

OneWeb is working towards launching the first super constellation of an initial 720 small satellites and testified before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), along with partner MDA, on the topic of reliable, affordable broadband Internet.

4. New Leadership at MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates as the Company Pursues Further U.S. Expansion

MDA is Canada’s largest space company. So when it makes a strategic move in hiring a new CEO, an American, people take notice. The strategic move is just one of many its taking in an attempt to increase its share of the large U.S. market.

3. Free Trade Deal With Europe a Cause for Concern for Canadian Space Industry

The free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union (EU) will benefit both countries, however for Canadian space industry, there are serious concerns about an asymmetrical clause that allows EU member states to bid on certain Canadian civil space tenders while seemingly being shut-out of a reciprocal arrangement to leading space programs like Germany’s DLR, France’s CNES and others national space agencies.

2. The Canadian Space Agency wants a University from each Province and Territory to build a CubeSat

This was story that wasn’t meant to be. A zealous Canadian Space Agency employee sent out a public notice to the Canadian space community indicating a new opportunity was forthcoming. Unfortunately, the employee sent the notice out without the program being approved. SpaceRef Canada learned that the potential program in question was, as of a month ago, still on hold pending approval, should it come, from senior management.

1. What You Need to Know About the Budget and Canada’s Space Program

Our top story, based mostly on its popularity, was on the 2016 budget. it included two specific items related to the space program.