Canadian Space Agency is a government organization that coordinates Canada’s space program. The agency was created in 1989, and its headquarters are in St.-Hubert, Quebec, southeast of Montreal.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) operates in five major areas: (1) Space Science, (2) Space Technologies, (3) Satellite Communications, (4) Earth and Environment, and (5) Human Presence in Space.
Loading the player...Canadarm2
Space Science
researchers investigate critical subjects, such as climate change and atmospheric pollution. They also study the development of living things and the growth of crystals in the near-weightless environment of space.
Space Technologies
workers develop new technologies for use in space, and they transfer these technologies to commercial applications on earth. Other activities in this area include the assembly and testing of satellites and other space hardware. This work takes place at the CSA’s David Florida Laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario.
Satellite Communications
researchers help develop new communications technologies for international markets. They also monitor the demand for satellite communications.
Earth and Environment.
Scientists working in this area study the earth’s surface, monitor the condition of natural resources, and conduct research on the atmosphere. They use advanced equipment such as RADARSAT, Canada’s Earth observing satellite.
RADARSAT, launched in 1995, scans the surface of the earth with radar beams. Earth-based computers use the resulting data to create images of the surface.
In 1997, RADARSAT became the first satellite to scan and map all of Antarctica. The mapping project provided much valuable data, including information on ice streams, currents of ice that flow like rivers through the surrounding ice sheet. RADARSAT images showed, for example, that ice streams travel great distances at speeds up to 3,000 feet (900 meters) per year. This information can help scientists who are studying the phenomenon of global warming. The researchers can use the information to determine how rapidly Antarctic ice might flow to the sea if the earth continues to become warmer.
Human Presence in Space.
This area includes Canada’s astronaut program and the country’s projects for the International Space Station.
Loading the player...Canadian astronaut Julie Payette
Canada selected its first astronauts in 1983. In 1984, Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to fly in space. Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman in space in 1992. In 1999, Julie Payette became the first Canadian to board the International Space Station.
Canada’s largest project for the International Space Station will be a “descendant” of a device that was built before the CSA was created. In 1981, Canada developed a robotic arm called the Remote Manipulator System, also known as the Canadarm. This device became an important part of the space shuttle program of the United States. Mounted in the shuttle’s payload bay, the Canadarm deployed, retrieved, and manipulated satellites. Astronauts also used it as a mobile work platform. In the late 1990’s, Canada designed a new, more advanced arm for use on the International Space Station.
