CSA Awards CAD $9 Million for Technology Development
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded 14 contracts worth just over CAD $9 million (US $6.6 million) to eight companies under its Space Technology Development Program (STDP).
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) received a total of six contracts worth CAD $3.5 million (US $2.6 million). COM DEV of Cambridge, Ont., received a pair of contracts worth nearly CAD $1.6 million (US $1.1 million). And UrtheCast of Vancouver received a contract worth $999,916 (US $736,131).
“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,” CSA said on its website.
The space agency plans to award additional contracts under the STDP. Details of the awards are below.
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 (US $736,193) | Hot Isostatic Pressing of Additively Manufactured Space-Use Components in Aluminum and Titanium |
| UrtheCast Corporation Vancouver, British Columbia | $999,916 (US $736,131) | UrthePlatform Analytics Engine |
| MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Inc. Brampton, Ontario | $935,132 (US $688,437) | Robotics Servicing System (RSS) Arm-joint Development |
| MDA Systems Ltd. Richmond, British Columbia | $408,312 (US $300,596) | Onboard Closed-loop Tracking for Space Situational Awareness Applications |
| SED Systems a division of Calian Ltd. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | $970,420 (US $714,416) | Ultra Wideband Satellite Modem |
| MDA Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec | $1,000,000 (US $736,193) | Advanced Antennas and Payload Technologies for Software Defined Satellites |
| MDA Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec | $1,000,000 (US $736,193) | Beam Hopping Technology Development for HTS Communication Systems |
| COM DEV Ltd. Cambridge, Ontario | $743,662 (US $547,479) | Integrated Assembly for Next Evolution Satellite |
| COM DEV Ltd. Cambridge, Ontario | $814,906 (US $599,928) | OISL Communication subsystem advancement |
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. Vaughan, Ontario | $249,983 (US $184,036) | Vulnerability Mitigation of a QKD Satellite Rekeying Device |
| Space Codesign Systems Inc. Montreal, Quebec | $179,400 (US $132,073) | Hardware/Software Codesign Methodology for high-performance on-board processing applied on artificial intelligence of space |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Inc. (formerly Neptec Design Group Ltd.) Kanata, Ontario | $99,696 (US $73,395) | AI – Enabled Non-Cooperative Sensor Mission Validation Tool |
| MDA Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec | $100,000 (US $73,619) | Large-Scale True Time Delay Optical Beamforming for RF Phased Array |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratoire Reaction Dynamics Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec | $500,000 (US $368,096) | Integrated high-efficiency catalytic ignition system for rocket engines |
