Contributions awarded under the STDP – AO 6
Funding for space research and development
In -, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded $23 million in funding to 40 Canadian companies, including 31 SMEs, to pioneer research and development (R&D) for 48 advanced space technology projects. A description of the projects, selected companies, and funding amounts are presented below under four categories:
- Space research and development: Advanced technologies
- Space research and development: Small businesses
- Space research and development: Feasibility studies
- Space research and development: Next-wave technologies
This funding initiative aims to:
- use space to drive broader economic growth by enhancing Canada's space sector through the scaling up of firms, enhancing their export growth, supporting the creation of high-paying middle-class jobs, providing support for small firms, and encouraging the hiring of students; and
- increase the readiness level of several promising space technologies.
Space research and development: Advanced technologies
The companies were awarded non-repayable contributions of up to $1 million for advanced space technologies. These projects are expected to last up to three years and produce economic benefits in the next two to five years.
| Company | Contribution value | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Burloak Technologies Inc. Oakville, Ontario |
$1,000,000 | Hot Isostatic Pressing of Additively Manufactured Space-Use Components in Aluminum and Titanium |
| EarthDaily Canada Holdings Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia |
$999,916 | UrthePlatform Analytics Engine |
| MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Inc. Brampton, Ontario |
$935,132 | Robotics Servicing System (RSS) Arm-joint Development |
| MDA Systems Ltd. Richmond, British Columbia |
$408,312 | Onboard Closed-loop Tracking for Space Situational Awareness Applications |
| SED Systems a division of Calian Ltd. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
$970,420 | Ultra Wideband Satellite Modem |
| MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corp. Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec |
$1,000,000 | Advanced Antennas and Payload Technologies for Software Defined Satellites |
| MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corp. Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec |
$1,000,000 | Beam Hopping Technology Development for HTS Communication Systems |
| Honeywell Aerospace Cambridge, Ontario (COM DEV Ltd.) |
$743,662 | Integrated Assembly for Next Evolution Satellite |
| Honeywell Aerospace Cambridge, Ontario (COM DEV Ltd.) |
$814,906 | OISL Communication subsystem advancement |
| GHGSat Inc. Montreal, Quebec |
$1,000,000 | Constellation Mission Experimental Payloads |
| C6 Launch Systems Corp. Toronto, Ontario |
$383,377 | C6 STARS (Space Transmission and Reception System) towards technology readiness level (TRL)-6 |
| Menya Solutions Inc. Sherbrooke, Quebec |
$639,112.50 | Autonomy-Enabling Technology for future Space Robotics |
| Maya Heat Transfer Technologies Ltd. Montreal, Quebec |
$250,015 | Rapid Thermal Model Correlation of Spacecraft using the Adjoint Method |
| Maya Heat Transfer Technologies Ltd. Montreal, Quebec |
$300,000 | Thermal Modeling of Heat Pipes and Loop Heat Pipes |
| Reaction Dynamics Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec |
$1,000,000 | Development of a full-scale rocket engine demonstrator for an orbital launch vehicle |
| Kepler Communications Inc. Toronto, Ontario |
$481,128 | Advanced Antenna Technology for Telecommunication Nanosatellites |
| Integrity Testing Laboratory Inc. Markham, Ontario |
$936,800 | Development of a dual vertical/horizontal loading ion-beam vacuum facility for novel space material processes |
| Teledyne Optech, a business unit of Teledyne Digital Imaging Inc. Vaughan, Ontario |
$1,000,000 | AI-Enabled 2-Axis scanner |
| C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. Ottawa, Ontario |
$1,000,000 | Ka-band phased array antenna system for broadband mobile HTS-SATCOM applications based on modular architecture |
| Magellan Aerospace Ltd. Winnipeg, Manitoba |
$328,775 | Next-Generation Spacecraft Command and Data Handling (C&DH NextGen) |
| CM Labs Simulations Inc. Montreal, Quebec |
$643,291 | Real-Time Simulation Platform for Robot Testing and Remote Operations Training |
| GlobVision Inc. Montreal, Quebec |
$999,982.50 | Generic intelligent constellation mission planning System (G-iCMPS) |
| Xiphos Systems Corp. Montreal, Quebec |
$404,900 | Development of a High-Qualification, Fully Characterized, High-Performance Processing Platform for Demanding Constellation Missions |
Space research and development: Small businesses
The small businesses (up to a maximum of 50 employees) were awarded non-repayable contributions of up to $250,000. These space R&D projects are expected to last up to three years and produce economic benefits in the next five to 10 years.
| Company | Contribution value | Project |
|---|---|---|
| QEYnet Inc. Maple, Ontario |
$249,983 | Vulnerability Mitigation of a QKD Satellite Rekeying Device |
| Space Codesign Systems Inc. Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec |
$179,400 | Hardware/Software Codesign Methodology for high-performance on-board processing applied on artificial intelligence of space |
| Good Vibrations Engineering Ltd. King City, Ontario |
$67,497 | FMS Matlab Simulator Update based on test data from 3rd prototype |
| GHGSat Inc. Montreal, Quebec |
$250,000 | Pointing Mirror for Wide-Angle Fabry-Perot Spectrometer |
| DPL Science Saint-Lazare, Quebec |
$108,476 | Intelligent Power Switch (iSwitch) |
| Stratodynamics Aviation Inc. Kenilworth, Ontario |
$247,125 | HiDRON Suborbital Space Plane |
| Global Spatial Technology Solutions Inc. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
$200,710 | On-board AI Computer Vision Solution Architecture for Space Applications |
| Wyvern Inc. Edmonton, Alberta |
$235,463 | Deployable optical telescope for high-resolution LEO Earth observation |
| 4pi Lab Inc. Calgary, Alberta |
$250,000 | Development and testing of the EPiC-lite Camera System to Detect Very Small Wildfires |
| Complex System Inc. Calgary, Alberta |
$243,740 | On-board satellite video generation technology for automated smart satellites |
| B-Con Engineering Inc. Ottawa, Ontario |
$218,455 | Process to design, manufacture, and confirm metrology to make improved metal optics for space systems |
| Edgehog Advanced Technologies Montreal, Quebec |
$250,000 | Edgehog anti-reflective coverglass for enhanced space solar panels |
| Nüvü Caméras Inc. Montreal, Quebec |
$250,000 | High-performance cooling system for faint flux imaging detector |
| evolutionQ Inc. Kitchener, Ontario |
$231,402 | Optimized Protocols and Architecture for Satellite-Based QKD Network |
| TransEON Inc. Edmonton, Alberta |
$249,774.15 | High-Performance GaN MOSFETs for Enhanced Spaceborne MMICs |
| Lux Aerobot Inc. Alma, Quebec |
$250,000 | Semi-autonomous long-endurance aerobot |
| Sciencetech Inc. London, Ontario |
$248,209 | LABEISS system (Laser Ablation Elemental Isotopic Spectrometer) |
| ACSYNAM Inc. Montreal, Quebec |
$250,000 | High-Performance Propellant Additives for New State-of-the-Art Launch Vehicles |
Space research and development: Feasibility studies
The companies were awarded non-repayable contributions of up to $100,000 for feasibility studies related to space projects and technologies with strong commercial potential. These R&D projects are expected to last up to two years and produce economic benefits in the next five to 10 years.
| Company | Contribution value | Project |
|---|---|---|
| MDA Vision Systems and Sensors (MDA VSS) Kanata, Ontario |
$99,696 | AI - Enabled Non-Cooperative Sensor Mission Validation Tool |
| MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corp. Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec |
$100,000 | Large-Scale True Time Delay Optical Beamforming for RF Phased Array |
| Obruta Space Solutions Corp. Ottawa, Ontario |
$99,565 | Novel Multi-Target Space Debris Removal Technology Feasibility Study |
| Kepler Communications Inc. Toronto, Ontario |
$99,314 | Feasibility Study of Beamforming Radiofrequency Integrated Circuits |
Space research and development: Next-wave technologies
The companies were awarded non-repayable contributions of up to $500,000 per next-wave space technology project. These R&D projects are expected to last up to three years and produce economic benefits in the next five to 10 years.
| Company | Contribution value | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Reaction Dynamics Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec |
$500,000 | Integrated high-efficiency catalytic ignition system for rocket engines |
| SpaceRyde Inc. Concord, Ontario |
$500,000 | Development of a lightweight rocket nozzle |
| MDA Vision Systems and Sensors (MDA VSS) Kanata, Ontario |
$452,694 | Hemispherical Camera for Space Situational Awareness |
These funds were awarded through the CSA's Space Technology Development Program (STDP), which supports innovation for the growth of the Canadian space sector and aims to reduce technological unknowns of future space missions. Contribution agreements are issued to Canadian organizations to support the development of innovative technologies with strong commercial potential. As part of a competitive process, proposals are selected based on the applicant's (mainly industry) capacity to advance the development of specific space technologies for which they receive financial support of up to 75% of their project cost.