Montreal Space Symposium

Montreal Student Space Associations - Alienor Lougerstay
Opening and Introduction to the Montreal Space Symposium

Concordia University - Marius Paraschivoiu 
Next generation design and engineering

McGill Institute for Aerospace Engineering - D. Arun Misra
An Overview of the Space Research Activities at McGill

By all accounts, space exploration is undergoing a new phase. Plans are being made for the most ambitious space projects since the Apollo era. Space exploration, tourism, privatisation, colonisation, are back on the table. Government agencies and private companies vie for achievements to exceed those of past space races. As speculation and utopia ramp up, new questions arise as to the social and ethical dimensions of this new effort.
This talk addresses the matter of space as commons, that is, as something to be shared and managed in a participatory and equitable manner. Past treaties presented space as a common heritage of humankind, but geostrategic concerns often superseded that notion, and national flags unfurled in the vacuum. Under what conditions can space exploration be inclusive, as this Symposium proposes? How can resources be ethically allocated, in light of the technological and resource limitations on Earth? To whom would new findings? What notion of “common good” should we apply?
A famous article by G. Hardin in 1968 discussed “the tragedy of the commons” on Earth, pointing out that resources are prone to be abused in systems of common property. Private management would be preferable and more attractive as resources become scarce. Elinor Ostrom, in contrast, found that traditional management of the commons often achieves durable sustainability. This talk addresses that debate and places it in the cosmos.

Since the dawn of civilization, humans from all over the world, guided by the primordial need to explore, have spun tales of space travel. Yet, despite all the stories of celestial adventures and the eons of desiring to know and reach for the moon and beyond, it has only been in the past few decades that people have spoken of privately owning and appropriating celestial bodies. The discussion around this relatively young notion grows in crescendo daily and yet it leaves little room for reflecting critically on the causes and potential effects of this newfound fascination with celestial ownership. One may find reasonable the lack of any such reflection in the technological, political and economic fields that -rightfully so- concern themselves with the practical side of space use and exploration. Where this lack becomes troubling however, is in the existing literature on space law, which, while greatly concerned with the legality of private ownership in and appropriation of celestial bodies and their resources, rarely includes in depth discussion on the nature of property and its connection with power -not just economic or political power- over people. It is this gap that this presentation will address and endeavour to fill.

As space becomes more accessible and the need for clear international laws increases, conducting such a critical analysis is imperative. After all, our effort to ‘bring space down to earth’ will not be successful if we forget to first bring to this new domain what we have learned in our time on earth. One of the things we have learned when it comes to private property and appropriation rights in land is that all too often they have been used as a tool of disenfranchisement and oppression. In turn, through the use of the theories on power, especially as it relates to private property, posited by French philosopher Michel Foucault and his intellectual descendants, we can apply this knowledge to the celestial domain. To do so, this presentation will provide an analysis of the most popular justifications given by academics from various fields, politicians and private companies in favor of the establishment of exclusionary rights in celestial bodies. By analysing the language used in these arguments and the notions they promote as evident and undisputable, it will be shown that the concept of property and appropriation championed by the proponents of these rights is a familiar technology of power. This technology has previously been used to promote narratives such as that of the American Frontier; narratives that have historically perpetuated the unequal treatment of some parts of the populace and the exercise of oppressive power. It is on the basis of that observation that this work will posit that if the use and exploration of space is to truly be the province of all mankind and for the benefit of all peoples, a new notion of property must be constructed before we can continue taking giants leaps beyond our homeworld.

Space geoengineering consists of intentionally deploying means to deviate the Sun’s heat in space. This technique has been identified as one among the few options that would allow the international community to ”buy precious time” against global warming (one of the most problematic consequences of climate change) by halting and reducing it. In fact, because geoengineering alone is not a solution to the various effects of climate change, this acquired time would allow the international community to discuss and agree on more effective and durable climate change mitigation measures. Of the many ways of deviating the Sun’s heat through space geoengineering, three have been identified as feasible. 1) Placing orbiting reflectors in the Earth’s orbit, which would however create significant orbital debris hazards. 2) Placing clouds of dust grains at the stable Earth-Moon triangular Lagrange points, solution which would nevertheless work for only a relatively short period each month, when those clouds would be between the Earth and the Sun. 3) Creating a station of some large (or many small) occulting discs close to the Sun-Earth Lagrange equilibrium point. This third method, which has been identified as the most effective and less risky, contemplates the possibility of fabricating parts of the station in-orbit by using outer space resources. The study explores which legal consequences arise, under current international space law from a possible space geoengineering deployment, especially if this would result from the unilateral decision of a country. Space geoengineering, in fact, will likely have climate effects affecting all countries, even if one single state decides to deploy it for its own benefit. Space law principles such as those of common interest, freedom and non-appropriation and other international law principles such as those of non-interference and cooperation are critically analyzed against such a usage of outer space. The study also provides a comparative analysis of the international space law provisions that seem to hinder such space application versus those which, on the contrary, could stimulate it. Last but not least, a critical assessment is made of the liabilities and responsibilities that states could encounter under international space law in the case of space geoengineering deployment. In its conclusion, the study explores whether the current corpus juris spatialis is suitable for future space geoengineering activities and what are the desirable changes it should eventually undertake.

There is a need to improve energy distribution and usage to become a more sustainable civilization. Energy providers depend heavily on accurate weather forecasting in order to determine supply and demand requirements.  Understanding human interaction with power is a crucial element for analyzing demand. On the supply side, the renewable energy sector is particularly vulnerable to the inaccuracies of weathering forecasting predictions. In order to move towards a more sustainable energy sector, weather prediction must be more accurate.  
In the International Space University, a team of space professionals has analyzed the market to understand the need of more accurate weather predictions, specifically in the renewable energy sector, and how the use of weather forecasting can be optimized and improved to serve the needs of the energy sector.  Most current weather forecasting data is obtained using observations made by satellites, providing a possible solution to supply/demand problems. In weather forecasting, a large number of satellites have a sustained competitive advantage over fewer satellites, based on the current demand by energy providers for high spectral and temporal resolutions in small local areas. Therefore, using small sats to collect accurate weather parameters for specific industries heavily reliant on weather forecasts would appear to be a viable solution.

Demand for new aerospace products continues to rise. Customers require the highest levels of performance, quality and reliability, and aerospace products must adhere to stringent contract and regulatory requirements. The aerospace global design and manufacturing supply chain must solve significant design and collaboration challenges while at the same time being under great pressure to meet these demands with products that get to market faster. Ensuring proper authoring of product 3D definition and consumption of that definition is key to a globally distributed product development environment.

Join us to explore how organizations are using tools & solutions to enable the creation of a complete digital twin providing a virtual representation of the product and its performance essential to shortening program schedules and reducing development costs.

GHGSat is a leader in greenhouse gas emission detection. Using satellite technology gives us unparalleled birds-eye view of entire industrial facilities. We are able to monitor these facilities for compliance with regulatory standards or to help them simply understand and quantify what their actual emissions are and where they are coming from.
 
Why a satellite?
 

• Economies of scale: Each satellite can measure any site in the world, every two weeks
• Ease of deployment: Can measure any site in the world within a few days of request, as many times as needed, with no deployment cost
• Consistency, transparency: Same method used for all sites, everywhere, for anyone
• Performance: Can detect and quantify significant portion (by volume) of industrial methane releases globally

 
GHGSat is a proudly Canadian company, based in Montreal, that believes that space technologies can empower us to make informed decisions on how to manage climate change for the years to come.

12:45   CRIAQ - Sofiane Benyouci
Collaborative innovation: issues, challenges and winning practices, the example of aerospace
The Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ) and the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC) are organizations whose missions are to facilitate collaboration of researchers from the aerospace industry, academia and research centres, and to launch initiatives whose primary purpose is to promote responsive, impactful R&D. This lecture will insist on the distinctive characteristics of these models and their impact on Quebec and Canada’s aerospace innovation culture. The lecture will also emphasize on the issues, importance and challenges of industrial cluster in collaborative innovation to accelerate the introduction of enabling and disruptive technologies, particularly in SMEs.

13:00  Canadian Space Agency - Isabelle Marcil
Science experiments on board the ISS and how they can improve our quality of life on Earth
Isabelle Marcil will talk about Canadian science taking place on the International Space Station (ISS), which is first and foremost a large orbiting research laboratory. She will give an overview of Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques’ upcoming mission and the health science experiments he will be conducting aboard the ISS. She will also discuss how space is hard on the human body and how studying the way our body changes in space can help us understand the impacts of reduced levels of physical activity and issues that affect older populations on Earth.

Isabelle Marcil parlera des expériences scientifiques canadiennes menées à bord de la Station spatiale internationale. Elle donnera un aperçu de la prochaine mission de l’astronaute canadien David Saint-Jacques à bord de ce laboratoire orbital et des expériences qu’il y réalisera. Son exposé portera aussi sur les effets néfastes de l’espace sur le corps humain et sur les changements qu’ils lui font subir, dont l’étude permet de comprendre les conséquences sur la santé de la sédentarité et les problèmes de santé des aînés sur Terre.

13:30 MAYA HTT - Olivier Allard
 Next generation design and engineering  

Quantum technologies promise to disrupt multiple fields of technologies, including high performance or intractable problems with quantum computing, unbreakable communication channels with quantum cryptography and sensors with unmatched sensitivity. For example, quantum gravimeters also hold the promise to detect the tiniest change in Earth gravitational field, such as the ones created by buried metallic pipes. Already, a few quantum satellites missions have been launched, including the teleportation of quantum states across 1200 km by Chinese mission Micius. In Canada, mission QEYSSat from Institute for Quantum Computing at Waterloo aims to distribute quantum keys between two distant networks, establishing a secure link protected by quantum states. By its CASPA mission, Teledyne e2v will also perform the first demonstration of a quantum gravity sensor based on cold atoms to monitor changes in polar ice mass and ocean currents.

The QMSat mission will launch in 2021 a promising room temperature quantum sensor based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. An advantage of the sensor is its absolute vector magnetic field and the possibility to use novel quantum algorithms to enhance sensitivity, while eliminating limitations of traditional atomic vapor magnetometers (AVMs). However, NV centers laboratory scale proofs must reach a higher level of integration to enable on-the field demonstrations. Through its quantum engineering program, the Institut quantique Qmag project is developing a compact NV magnetometer including laser/microwave sources, compact photodetection and FPGA data processing.

In this talk, I will review the basics of NV center diamond based magnetometry and the quantum engineering challenges related to prototyping the technology for deployment in a 2U cubesat .

The study of magnetic phenomena is the foundation of a wide range of applications : geophysical surveys, ionosphere magnetic phenomena, Earth’s dynamo effect, surveillance and search and rescue operations. For example, through Earth magnetic field anomaly detection, submarines or planes can be detected underwater at a distance of a few kilometres. This type of studies is typically conducted with AVMs which possess a sensitivity of 1 pT/√Hz. However, target classification and sensor guiding require three AVM devices to measure the vector magnetic field. Further, their size, power consumption and temperature compensation restrict their uses in harsh environments and their integration into cubesat platforms. The vector magnetic field capability offered in a space compatible environment would allow the deployment of cubesat constellations, enabling the geolocalization of magnetic phenomena such as lightnings and solarstorms, which can affect the reliability of GPS and power distribution networks.

Hear the story of UVic satellite Design's struggle with planning, designing, and integrating the Homathko Satellite in time for the Canadian Satellite Design challenge, and the innovations which were born of this struggle, namely, a modular cubesatellite structure and bus which are soon to be open sourced.

Cubesatellite structures are often built specifically for the payload they will be carrying. This attempt to optimize space in the satellite often leads to reduced accessibility of the bus during the prototyping, testing, and integration stages of the spacecraft's development. A new structure was designed with the purpose of being used for multiple missions regardless of their payload, increasing the accessibility of internal components, and greater ease of subsystem integration. 

Atmospheric monitoring in remote or hazardous areas requires compact systems capable of acquiring multiple types of information for thorough atmospheric characterization. Parameters of interest in the atmosphere include not only physical characteristics such as temperature and humidity, but also the existence, quantity, and types of biological specimens present. A deployable system with capability of recording physical and biological information is valuable on Earth for acquiring information about the atmosphere of remote areas. It could also be employed as a planetary science and exobiology payload for characterization of atmospheres of other planets, especially planets where there is potential for finding life. A low cost, compact, and robust design allows it to be easily deployed on Earth or as a secondary payload on interplanetary missions. Airborne biological specimens, often called bioaerosols, have been acquired and analyzed from altitudes beyond 10 km in Earth’s atmosphere. These specimens include but are not limited to bacteria, fungal spores, and pollen. Collection of bioaerosols on Earth is usually conducted with planes or balloons; however, the compact size of the CubeSat structure can serve as an advantage for experimentalists. SPORE, the Subatmospheric Probe for Organic Research and Exploration, is an atmospheric monitoring suite contained in a 0.8x0.8x2.4U CubeSat structure. Equipped with a sensor suite containing altitude, temperature, humidity, UV, IR and visible light sensors, as well as a vacuum pump bacterial collection system, it is capable of recording physical characteristics of the atmosphere and collecting biological specimens during descent.

SPORE was deployed at the 2018 Spaceport America Cup, however was unfortunately not recovered. The talk will focus on preliminary testing done for the experiment, lessons learned from the actual launch and an outlook into the future

In the spacecraft industry, strong coupling between thermal and structural analysis is critical to the success of the mission. Antennas and cameras are particularly affected by thermal distortion. Maya Heat Thermal Transfer has recently been involved in various projects where accuracy was of paramount importance, e.g. the cameras on the ESA ExoMars rover where thermal distortion means that the two lenses can point in slightly different directions, or the star camera of a satellite.
 
Due to the complexity of the spacecraft models, detailed thermal analyses are usually performed to determine temperature profiles and gradients, followed by structural analyses. This involves a lot of manual and tedious non-recurring mapping work.
 
In this presentation, the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) spacecraft will be used as an example to illustrate a fully integrated multi-physics approach. This minimizes the risk of errors, speeds up considerably the analyses, and allows engineers to focus on the design. 

For more than half a century, MDA’s electronics group in Montreal has designed complex electronics for use in space. These systems have been used in a variety of different applications, from robotics, communications and radar imaging to constellations and rovers. MDA is at the heart of new advancements in space from digital payloads, in-orbit servicing and mega-constellations. This session will provide an overview of the various challenges and complexities in designing robust, fault-tolerant electronics for use in an unforgiving space environment. 

Thermoplastic composite materials (TPC) have been used for a number of years in the space industry. One of the most famous applications of TPCs is on the Canadarm2, a robotic arm used on the International Space Station, which has been in service since 2001. The initial planned lifespan for Canadarm2 was of 10 years, however, because Canadarm2 is still very useful in current missions, the plan is now to extend its service life until 2028. The low Earth orbit is now littered with millions of manmade debris resulting from decades of space
exploration. Space structures are now more likely to be impacted by debris than ever before.

This paper presents the development of a repair method for hypervelocity impact damage on the Canadarm2 structure. Since the thermoplastic composites have the advantage of being re-processable, we use induction welding to repair the damaged laminates. An induction welding process that allows the repair of large areas was developed. This method allows thewelding of patches over a damaged area in a continuous fashion by moving the part to be repaired under an induction coil.

Laminates that were damaged via a hypervelocity impact show a residual flexural rigidity of 75% and 45% compared to intact laminates for the entry and secondary exit damage respectively. After repair using a quasi isotropic 8 ply patch [0, 90, ±45]s, the secondary exit damage shows a flexural rigidity of 300% compared to an intact laminate and a maximum flexural strength of 130% compared to intact laminates.

Finally, a finite element model of a laminate and patch was developed. The finite element model of an intact laminate converges to a rigidity within 3% of the experimental results. The finite element model of an intact laminate and patch shows a rigidity within 2% of the experimental results. Due to the high increase in rigidity of the repaired laminates, different patch stackups can be simulated. This allows to determine an ideal patch that would allow repaired laminates to have closer mechanical properties to that of intact laminates.

Keywords: repair, composite materials, welding, induction, thermoplastic 

The international space industry has been increasingly diversifying over the years, emulating business models previously deemed forward-looking. A reflection on current state of affairs highlights business practices adept at scaling growth, opportunities and benefits to nationals of States.

For example, the economical inflow from Luxembourg: Law on Use of Resources in Space is enabling platforms for international cooperation not only amid industries, but also through its government-led mandate which recognizes the impact of propagating its regulatory reform through partnerships with other heads of States. Except for the United States, no other country has yet levelled its efforts to empower its economy to comparable lengths by focusing on policy frameworks. These are likely to be major precursors for strong economic development, intellectual property and technology transfer. Canada has, in recent years, deployed its Innovation Superclusters Initiative and the Strategic Innovation Funds under the overarching umbrella program: Innovation and Skills Plan. With the Budget 2018, $11.5M funding was designated to look at regulatory reforms with an initial focus in key sectors such as agri-food and emerging technologies, with space explicitly absent from this list. With the program’s focus aspiring to seek benefits for Canadians ranging from rural communities to establishing Canada at the forefront of innovation, the scope and terminology is likely to confound the public. To align space into these conversations, it is imperative to leverage a familiar tone that not only connects with Canadians, but that is also in-line with young entrepreneurs/early start-ups and the mandates of federal programs referred therein.

With the ambiguity that the Canadian space sector faces today and the ongoing reformatory conversations within the Government, future discussions must retrace Canadian impacts in space technology development, while simultaneously showcasing its accomplishments. This was most recently recognized in the Patents in Space report published by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). Most importantly perhaps, Canada stands to lose its prominence in the G7 group while potentially jeopardizing its heritage: the third country in Space, after the Soviet Union and the US. A new paradigm of public-private partnerships offers a pathway capable of reconciling Canadian priorities highlighted above, and therefore serves as an urgent call for Canada to act upon and align its priorities for the space industry.

Panel as part of the track entitled "SGAC: #NextGen Canada" - Developed by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).

The youth interested in working in the space industry face a variety of challenges. There is a lack of awareness to different types of careers in the space sector, with most associating it to aerospace engineering or astronomy. The reality is that the space industry is multifaceted, there is no handpicked subset of disciplines that “qualifies” whether it’s applicable or not to the space domain. If anything, the space sector is growing towards plurality.

It should be noted that space is an enabling domain and one of its facets strives on improving accessibility. This can be seen through the lens of SciCom: an interdisciplinary field that goes beyond the confinement of technical knowledge and blends philosophy, culture, politics and social sciences to name a few. There is, however, a lack of awareness for many young people on the composition of the Canadian space sector. For example, different companies, academic labs and institutions, museums and nonprofit organizations all collaborate in the space industry. The domain itself is woven in a foundation of inter-connected entities, be it individuals, governments or large corporates. Despite the rich distribution of fields that are involved, it remains a subtlety to both the public and particularly the youth.

Furthermore, there’s an essential need to increase opportunities that encourages visibility to auxiliary fields that are continuously working closely to the space sector. For many, there is an apparent boundary separating jobs that are ‘in” from those that are “out” of the space field. Thus, it is important to vocalize the diversity and accessibility of viable options that can be pursued. To many young graduates and university students, the broadness of the industry is not well encapsulated. This may be due to a low visibility itself and some combination of public engagement from the space community which focuses largely on its technical elements. Such introspections are equally important to bring sustainable conversations while engaging the public’s perception.

It is along these lines that the landscape of navigating the space industry can become challenging, if not completely hidden. To this day, professional growth and pathways remain deeply rooted to technical backgrounds, despite the emergence of non-technical fields becoming more prevalent. Leveraging an open dialogue may not only contribute useful insights for Canadians but may also provide exposure to concepts of global awareness. Differentiating the barrier of entry for opportunities in space by utilizing accessible platforms has its own merits and therefore serves as an important topic for discussion.

Panel as part of the track entitled "SGAC: #NextGen Canada" - Developed by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).

Sustainable development on earth is directly related to space sustainability. It is an accepted fact today that human beings are dependent on space activities and space technology for day-to-day functioning on earth, such as communications, disaster management, earth observation and weather forecasting. Space technology also plays an important role in sustainable development in earth and in giving effect to the sustainable development goals of 2030. For example, several NewSpace actors are working towards improving communication networks to provide connectivity to populations to remote and rural areas both in developed and developing countries. However, to ensure that space technology can continue to contribute to sustainable development in earth, it is necessary to preserve the space environment.

Space sustainability is dependent on our knowledge of positions of space objects in space. Ability to see what is happening in space or space situational awareness (SSA) is the first step towards developing comprehensive mechanism for space sustainability. At present, most States and private operators are dependent on the United States (USA) for SSA data. Though, India, China and Russia have some SSA capabilities, the USA still is undisputed leader in SSA capabilities and there is heavy reliance on USA for the SSA data. However, due to both technological as well as political considerations, it is not prudent for an entire industry to be dependent on one actor for vital SSA data. As we saw with the 2009 Iridium-Cosmos collision, the USA was not able to predict the collision of its operational maneuverable satellite with defunct Russian satellite, despite its stellar SSA capabilities. The fact is with the present level of technology, it is not possible for any one State to ubiquitously track all satellites persistently at all times. Further, only the satellite owner-operators have the most accurate real-time data of the location of their satellite. That the USA’s SSA data is not completely accurate is evidenced by the fact that an Intelsat study concluded that the collision warnings provided by the USA military had nearly a 50 % false positive rate (half of the warnings were issued when there was not actually a potential collision) and a 50% false negative rate (warnings were not issued for half of the actual close approaches). It is to be remembered that maneuvering satellites needs utilization of fuel, which is a limited resource and hence false positive warnings may limit the lifetime of a satellite. Further, collision warning if not issued may result in destruction of a space object creating debris, which may lead to exponential collisions making an entire orbit unusable.

Therefore, in order to preserve the space environment, it is necessary for all actors involved in space activities to co-operate and enter into partnerships. Space sustainability is the key space industry as well as survival of humans on earth.

You've probably seen the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) or SpaceGen name somewhere, or interacted with someone that has been to one of our activities. But what is SGAC, what does it do, and what are its outcomes? I cannot tell you all SGAC does, but hopefully I can paint a picture of some of the more impactful activities we have done in the past few years. More importantly, I will share with you how people like you have worked with SGAC to help share the views of the next generation on relevant space policy topics with the UN, space agency and the global space community.  

* The sneak peek of the animated presentation can be viewed here (Its full copy available upon request).

In 2014, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), a section of the US Department of Defense (DoD), ambitiously launched its Space-based Kill Assessment (SKA) project in an effort to reinforce the American missile defense capabilities, such as the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), by 2020. The SKA sensors – an important component of the system to create a more robust communications network for more strategic interception of incoming threats – are expected to be on orbit in 2018, tested and fielded in the consecutive years. It is also noteworthy that these sensors will be piggy-backed on commercial satellites mainly for the cost savings benefits. This reportedly first partnership of the MDA with commercial stakeholders for its space applications evokes the on-going debate over the dual-use objects as a potential aid to space weapons, in addition to the implications of the ‘Military-Industrial Complex’ (MIC) associated with the US military.

While some governments, such as that of the US, insist on the self-defense and security purposes in its march towards outer space for military interests, like the justification of experimenting the US’ SKA sensor network, such military-oriented space policies have critically been assessed because they would eventually result in compromising the peaceful uses of outer space, as stipulated in the Outer Space Treaty (1967), by adding new tensions and sources of conflicts. A dilemma between the national security needs and the benefit of global cooperation never seems to end. Though, given the winds of war still blowing in our world, the current global paradigm calls for individual State’s voluntary dedication to the prevention of armed conflicts.

By and large, outer space is perceived as a field of adventure and unlimited possibilities; e.g., the mine of untouched natural resources and the next destination for civilization. And yet, it has also been serving as an excellent high ground from which to gain a military advantage since the inception of the Space Age, which may well generate some destructive outcomes contrary to such life-giving potentials publicly anticipated from 'space.' Thus, this presentation intends not only to discuss primarily how the US Space Program – as part of its national defense policy – is in conformity with an international effort to ‘harmoniously’ enhance global space security, but more importantly, to emphasize that now may be the time to reflect on the weight of our terrestrial decisions – government and industry alike – extending to the extraterrestrial forum. So, we may hopefully find a way to "bring space down to earth" truly for more sustainable human future, and ultimately, for the greater good of all people.

In recent years, decadal surveys regularly administered by NASA and the US Congress have been used to forecast key priorities for scientific missions. The preceding National Research Council’s Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics (2010) designated the WFIRST mission as the top priority from the scientific community, echoed by the Canadian astronomy community as well. Canada recently retracted from its commitment to this major international space project due to a lack of funding for space programs.

When solicited for interest in participation, Canada gets on board but then lacks the sustainability at a transitional point of commitment. Such endeavors are not only critical to space exploration, but also for the development of an inter-generational workforce and the scholarly advancements in space astronomy (for which the country is renowned for). The lack of a mechanism to ensure a firm engagement when a project is finally greenlit demonstrates an institutional void: the Canadian space program simply cannot rely solely on ad hoc measures and yearly budget allocations. As a result, Canada had to renege on its potential contributions to the WFIRST mission, which subsequently led to repercussions on multiple fronts. Canada would have provided key instruments that now have to be descoped from the project. Furthermore, Canada has already invested in Phase 0 studies for these technologies, roughly $3.1-million. The considerable expertise development and possible “HQP-drain” are equally important losses.

A support infrastructure to foster future collaborations requires a firm acknowledgement from the government, both financially and institutionally. This is highly prevalent as NASA steers its focus to a cislunar station with its international partners, including the CSA. There may be a future where Canada is no longer a central player at the table of major space faring nations and may even lose out on future economic outputs of the space industry. The steady retraction of Canada’s involvement in international space missions is in stark opposition to the spirit of the nation’s space pioneers, who held grand visions for the country’s role in shaping humankind’s frontier in space. Moreover, Canada stands to lose its prominence in the G7 group and its heritage as well: the third country in Space, after the Soviet Union and the US. There remains an important impetus on all members of the industry to highlight the comprehensive benefits of space exploration and its multi-dimensionality; in other words, its benefits to the economy, to Canadians and to Canada’s standing internationally.

Panel as part of the track entitled "SGAC: #NextGen Canada" - Developed by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).