The Canadian Space Agency's – Departmental plan at a glance
A departmental plan describes a department's priorities, plans and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.
Key priorities
- Propelling space exploration through the Lunar Program
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) prioritizes its involvement in the Lunar Gateway mission to drive space exploration. As part of its Lunar program, the CSA will develop an advanced robotic system and rovers, foster scientific partnerships, send its first astronaut around the Moon on the Artemis II mission, and continue developing technologies that can support long-duration spaceflight and enhance remote healthcare. Through these projects and initiatives, the CSA will collaborate with international partners, bringing economic growth, job opportunities, and innovation to the country while advancing scientific knowledge and improving the lives of Canadians. - Delivering space-based data to support Canada's sustainable development ambitions
Recognizing the critical role of satellite Earth observation in addressing climate change and environmental challenges, the CSA is committed to leverage space-based data for sustainable development. The CSA aims to generate innovative solutions for climate change monitoring, mitigation and adaptation by developing and operating satellites that acquire Earth observation data to support the response to critical challenges like wildfires and fostering the development of applications and services. Through these actions, the CSA will help enhance resilience, inform decision-making, and position Canada as a leader in sustainable development. - Positioning Canadian space ecosystem for prosperity
The CSA recognizes the transformative nature of space activities and the related potential for significant economic growth. To position the Canadian space ecosystem to benefit from the expanding international space economy, the CSA will focus its work with partners to support space firm scale-ups through the space capacity development program and enable the industry to drive investments and job creation. By prioritizing innovation, and industrial capabilities, Canada is seeking to capitalize on the expanding space ecosystem and boost economic growth and job opportunities. The CSA will begin setting up the SpaceHub, a collaborative initiative that will drive transformational change in Canada's space ecosystem by connecting scientists and entrepreneurs, enabling innovative SMEs to adapt and capture the opportunities of the rapidly evolving global space economy.
Refocusing Government Spending
In Budget , the government committed to reducing spending by $15.4 billion over the next five years, starting in –, and by $4.5 billion annually after that.
As part of meeting this commitment, the CSA is planning the following spending reductions.
- -: $11,087,139
- -: $21,543,000
- - and after: $17,240,000
The CSA will achieve these reductions by doing the following:
- Reduce travel expenses and some professional services
- Rationalize CSA's technical services and space operations capacities
- Reduce investments in CSA's existing space capacity development funding programs and activities aiming at preparing new space missions and focus on delivering current approved missions.
The figures in this departmental plan reflect these reductions.
Highlights
A Departmental Results Framework consists of an organization's core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.
Canada in Space
Canada in Space highlights
Departmental results:
- Canada remains a leading space-faring nation
- Space information and technologies improve the lives of Canadians
- Canada's investments in space benefit the Canadian economy
Planned spending: $349,012,257
Planned human resources: 492.9 full-time equivalents (FTEs)
Ensuring Canada's presence in space is the sole responsibility of the CSA. To achieve this objective, the CSA focuses on three ultimate departmental results: that Canada remains a leading space-faring nation, that space information and technologies improve the lives of Canadians and that Canada's investments in space benefit the Canadian economy.
Canada remains a leading space-faring nation
In –, the CSA will advance space exploration through a wide range of projects and initiatives centred on the Lunar program. The CSA will remain a proud partner in the International Space Station (ISS), and will continue to operate Canadarm 2. The CSA will also prepare for Canada's fourth long‑duration astronaut mission on the ISS, as this is the proving ground for the future of exploration. In –, efforts will also be focused on Canada's participation in the Lunar Gateway, and advancing the development of Canadarm 3. Through this Canadian contribution, it will be possible to maintain, repair and inspect the Gateway, capture visiting vehicles, relocate Gateway modules, help astronauts during spacewalks, and enable scientific work both in lunar orbit and on the surface of the Moon. In return for contributing with Canadarm3, Canada received the opportunity to participate in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Artemis II mission. Through this mission, planned to launch no earlier than , CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be making Canada the second country to have an astronaut fly around the Moon.
To ensure industry and academia are positioned to benefit from the opportunities generated by Canada's exploration efforts, the CSA will continue its Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) which fosters collaboration and technological advancement in space exploration. This program will also support research and development projects related to lunar exploration such as a lunar rover, which will be Canada's first rover to explore the Moon to aid in the search for water ice, crucial for future human space exploration. With a projected launch date in , the CSA will also continue working on a new lunar utility vehicle, as part of its contribution to NASA's Artemis program.
In –, the CSA will continue to optimize the time allocated to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in support of Canadian researcher studies on distant galaxies, the formation of stars and planets, and the potential discovery of signs of extraterrestrial life. At the same time, the CSA will be preparing for its next astronomy contribution to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Atmospheric remote-sensing infrared exoplanet large-survey (Ariel) mission.
Following the successful Osiris-Rex sample return mission, the CSA will also continue to prepare its facilities and the scientific community to receive, curate, and study a portion of the Bennu asteroid material, making Canada the fifth country in the world to receive and curate a sample collected in space.
Space information and technologies improve the lives of Canadians
The CSA's Earth observation (EO) supported satellites such as RADARSAT-2, the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), and SCISAT will continue to provide invaluable data that benefit our planet and our day-to-day lives. To foster the development of innovative solutions and increase the uptake of space-based data in various sectors, the CSA will continue its smartEarth initiative. The CSA's satellites support a wide range of services such as climate change adaptation, natural disaster and emergency response, monitoring of marine and coastal ecosystems, and national security.
In –, the CSA will continue the work related to the RADARSAT + investment announced by the Government on October 18, 2023. This $1.012 billion investment over 15 years will ensure continuity of essential Earth observation (EO) satellite data to numerous federal organizations so that they can continue delivering services to Canadians. Additionally, the CSA will continue its groundwork on two other EO missions: WildFireSat, which will provide key information to improve wildfire responses across the country and the High-altitude Aerosols, Water vapour, and Clouds (HAWC) mission as part of NASA's Atmosphere Observing System satellite constellation, which will provide observations of aerosols, clouds, convection, and precipitation. These are key climate variables that can be monitored to improve our understanding of climate change.
Canada's investments in space benefit the Canadian economy
Every CSA project and initiative helps ensure that investments in space benefit the Canadian economy. To maintain the prosperity of the space sector in the coming years, the CSA will continue to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the Space Technology Development Program (STDP). This funding initiative provides contributions and contracts that support innovation for the growth of the Canadian space industry and to reduce technological unknowns.
The CSA will also continue to provide hands-on experience to students and emerging professionals. Through its Flights and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST) initiative, the CSA supports Canadian university research projects that involve students and young researchers. As part of the CSA's CubeSats Initiative in Canada for STEM (CUBICS), nine university teams will design, build, test, launch, and operate their own miniature satellite to conduct their own scientific mission. The CSA's stratospheric balloon campaign (STRATOS) will also continue to provide opportunities to researchers and students to test their payloads in a suborbital environment. In collaboration with France's Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), two Canadian payloads will be tested aboard a transatlantic stratospheric balloon flight launching from Sweden and landing in Northern Canada.
To engage and inspire young minds, the CSA will continue to offer a wide range of digital games, activities, experiments, and resources on its website. Through these activities, the CSA aims to empower young people to become the scientists, explorers, and problem solvers of tomorrow, shaping Canada's space program.
More information about Canada in Space can be found in the full departmental plan.