Space Strategy for Canada
Delivering the Vision – Canada's Space Strategy
Canada will create the right conditions for the growth of the space sector, ensure that Canada's space scientists are offered a rich environment in which to pursue science excellence, fully realize the benefits of space for Canadians and leverage its ability to inspire, and ultimately help strengthen Canada's place in space. The following set of activities will help deliver on this vision for Canada's space sector.
1 Ensure Canada remains a leading spacefaring nation by joining the lunar Gateway mission
Canada will partner on the next major human exploration and science mission, the US-led Lunar Gateway mission. An outpost in the lunar vicinity, the Gateway will open a new frontier for the exploration of the Moon and pave the way for the first visit by Canadian astronauts to our nearest celestial neighbour. Canada is excited to be among the first partners to confirm its participation in humanity's foray into deep space and to make the Lunar Gateway a key anchor program for Canada's Space Strategy.
The Gateway will support human and robotic exploration, creating opportunities to support innovation, grow the economy, create the jobs of the future, and inspire young people to develop the skills they will need to succeed. The Gateway will be a science laboratory, a testbed for new technologies, a rendezvous location for exploration to the surface of the Moon, a control centre for operations on the Moon, and one day, a stepping stone for voyages to Mars. Canada aims to be a leading member of the next effort to push humanity into space, just as we were with the Space Shuttle program and the ISS. Through this effort, Canada will:
- Build the next-generation AI-enabled deep-space robotic system: Leveraging the heritage of the Canadarms, our leadership in artificial intelligence (AI), and significant actions by the Government to cement that advantage through the Innovation Superclusters Initiative and the $125 million Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Canada will remain a world leader in the domain of AI-enabled space robotics. To do so, Canada will invest $1.9 billion to develop and contribute an advanced, next-generation, AI-enabled deep-space robotic system. This smart robotic system will perform critical operations on the Gateway and support the deployment of science and technology experiments. It will be comprised of a large and small robotic arm to allow the system to walk end-over-end, traversing around the Gateway, and it will be highly autonomous, allowing it to make decisions and undertake operations without the presence of astronauts. The technology developed for this critical exploration mission will also position Canadian firms as global leaders in the future on-orbit servicing market.