The David Florida Laboratory celebrates 50 years of activity – Infographic

The David Florida Laboratory is Canada's world-class spacecraft assembly, integration and testing centre. The DFL opened its doors in 1972, the 10th anniversary of the launch of Alouette. It is named in honour of one of Canada's pioneers in space research, C. David Florida. Since 1972, it has played a key role in some of the most significant Canadian space projects. The infographic showcases five important space endeavours: Hermes, Canadarm, RADARSAT-1, NEOSat, RADARSAT Constellation Mission and the James Webb Space Telescope. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

The David Florida Laboratory (DFL) is Canada's world-class spacecraft assembly, integration and testing centre. Since 1972, it has played a key role in some of the most significant Canadian space projects, including but not limited to:

Hermes

Launch date: January 1976
First satellite integrated and tested at the DFL. It was the most powerful communications satellite of its time and the first to operate in the 14/12 GHz frequency band, paving the way for future direct broadcast satellites.

Canadarm

Launch date: November 1981
Canada's most famous technological achievement in the field of robotics. It was designed to unload the contents of the space shuttle's payload bay.

RADARSAT-1

Launch date: November 1995
Canada's first Earth observation satellite. Its images were used internationally to manage the Earth's resources and to monitor global climate change.

NEOSSat

Launch date: February 2013
World's first space telescope dedicated to detecting and tracking asteroids, comets, satellites and space debris.

RADARSAT Constellation Mission

Launch date: June 2019
Canada's new generation of Earth observation satellites. By taking daily scans of our country, the three identical satellites bring solutions to key challenges and support about 60 services for Canadians.

James Webb Space Telescope

Launch date: December 2021
Successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, and the most powerful space telescope ever built. Canada's contribution to the Webb Telescope included the Fine Guidance Sensor, an integral part of the telescope's attitude control system.