New Canadian Satellite Constellation To Assess Environmental
Impacts, Ensure Sovereignty
The Honourable David L.
Emerson, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Marc Garneau, President, CSA, has
announced details of funding in the 2005 federal budget for the
development and construction of a series of three Earth observation
satellites.
The satellites will monitor environmental impacts on Earth,
promote sustainable development and help ensure Canadian
sovereignty and security for decades to come.
In the 2005 federal budget, the Government of Canada committed
$3 billion for research, regional development and sectoral support.
The CSA will receive $111 million of that amount to dedicate to
this initiative.
"The Government of Canada is committed to promoting the space
component of our aerospace sector through the development of
applications that are relevant to Canadians, such as monitoring
climate change impacts and protecting our sovereignty," said
Minister Emerson. "The Canadian Space Program's leadership in
developing and promoting Earth observation applications will
increase Canadians' security and provide a better understanding of
the environmental health of our country, both now and in the
future."
This three-satellite radar constellation will benefit Canada and
other nations by providing more timely and comprehensive data than
is currently available, and the ability to track ice conditions and
support ship navigation in the St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes and
along Canadian coastlines. It will also support disaster management
by detecting oil spills, monitoring floods, aiding forest fire
fighting, and providing information on the evolution of disaster
areas worldwide. The radar constellation will ensure Canadian
sovereignty and security through coastal surveillance by satellite
in all weather conditions.
"Canada's space community has already demonstrated its
leadership in remote sensing through the development of RADARSAT-1
and its successor, RADARSAT-2," said Dr. Garneau. "This
constellation will provide more frequent coverage over all of
Canada - day and night and in all weather conditions -ensuring
radar data continuity for both private and public users well into
the next two decades."
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February
2005 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal
framework.
The Government of Canada is committed to understanding and
promoting environmental protection and the sustainable development
of our nation. These are key drivers behind its continued support
and investment in Earth observation and remote sensing to study the
conditions of our planet, using data from space-based
satellites.
Canada's space
community has demonstrated its leadership in remote sensing through
the development of RADARSAT-1, a versatile satellite launched in
1995 to capture radar images continuously and in all weather
conditions. As Canada's sentinel, it has surpassed all expectations
in becoming an integral part of coastal and marine surveillance and
pollution patrol, and an indispensable tool for disaster monitoring
worldwide. Its successor, RADARSAT-2, is set for launch in
2006.
Since these sophisticated satellites take many years to develop,
the Government of Canada is now planning for the next generation of
radar satellites. It is proposing a constellation of three small
radar satellites instead of a single large one. This series, or
constellation, will provide more frequent coverage over Canada - it
would fly over any part of Canada at least once a day, and more
frequently over the North - and greatly reduce the risk of an
interruption in service.
This radar satellite constellation will benefit Canada and other
nations with more timely and comprehensive data, including:
- Monitoring of ice for navigation in the St. Lawrence, the Great
Lakes, and our coastal waters. Without radar satellite images, the
Canadian Ice Service would spend an additional $15-20 million a
year on more frequent airplane and helicopter flyovers for vastly
inferior images.
- Supporting disaster management by detecting oil spills,
monitoring floods, supporting forest fire fighters, and providing
information on the evolution of disaster areas. Canada's expertise
was demonstrated recently in south Asia where RADARSAT-1 monitored
conditions in zones where the tsunami struck: the coasts of
Southern India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand.
- Supporting Canadian sovereignty and security through coastal
surveillance by satellite in all weather conditions, including
detecting ships in the far North and in our coastal waters. If a
satellite spots an anomaly, a vessel or plane can be dispatched to
the area.
Canadian companies have proven they are the vanguard in the
development of radar satellite data products and services for
commercial use. Scientific and commercial users in such fields as
agriculture, cartography, hydrology, forestry, oceanography, ice
studies and coastal monitoring will also greatly benefit from more
readily accessible radar data.
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