Canadensys Aerospace Corporation awarded space contract

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

Canadensys Aerospace Corporation has been awarded an $800,000 contract from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

The Bolton based organization was presented with the funds to develop a new lunar rover concept.

“This follows a sequence of activities and contracts we've done for the federal government in this general area of lunar surface mobility. To put it in context, Canada participates with a number of international partners in space exploration. Most known about that is the International Space Station. We have a very visible role there” said Christian Sallaberger, president and CEO of Canadensys Aerospace Corporation.

“The international partners are looking at what could be the next big international program after the space station and they've come up with something called the deep space Gateway. The Gateway is really kind of a mini space station that will orbit around the moon and we'll have up to four astronauts at a time visiting it.”

Canadensys Aerospace Corporation is a space systems and services company with a focus on accessible space. They were founded on heritage and expertise that spans over a number of Canada's space achievements of the last three decades.

The Gateway will house a power and propulsion bus, habitat module and a small logistics module for rovers and other robots, according to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) news release. The International Space Station partners are USA, Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada.  It is possible that other new partners might also join in the Gateway effort.

Canada is considering involvement in this next phase of space exploration. As part of the Gateway preparatory activities, a lunar rover concept is desired that will employ artificial intelligence. It will test technologies needed for a future pressurized rover capable of transporting astronauts on the moon's surface. Sallaberger said the government posted a request for proposals (RFP) in early summer and Canadensys Aerospace responded to it.

“By space program standards this has been a reasonably fast contractor selection period. Often there's a much longer cycle and proposal evaluation process before one gets to an actual binding contract. This one went reasonably fast,” said Sallaberger.

“We're involved in a number of technology development efforts, many of them directly applicable to lunar surface systems and vehicles.  In this case, this particular contract is to do the early phase studies of a smaller precursor rover that would support eventual human missions, said Sallaberger.

“This contract is for what we call phase zero activities, which look at mission planning, the objectives, the user needs and the very high-level concept of what that vehicle will be. It also defines if the mission is feasible, what are the options that should be considered, what will the cost be, what will the schedule be, what are the risks associated with it. We develop and provide all this information so the government can make an informed decision on what they would like to do.”

David Tilson, MP for Dufferin-Caledon applauded Canadensys Aerospace Corporation on being awarded the contract.

“This announcement is yet another example of the tremendous talent we have in Canada and within our own community. I congratulate Canadensys Aerospace Corporation on being awarded this significant contract by the CSA that will allow this company to continue to grow and innovate, while also bringing more well-paying jobs to Caledon,” said Tilson in a news release.

Sallaberger said an overall program to build a Canadian lunar rover will take about five to 10 years.

“Probably closer to a 10-year program if it was a human rover that will be used by astronauts to move around the lunar surface and maybe a little bit quicker if it was a robotic vehicle,” said Sallaberger.

Canadensys Aerospace Corporation is involved in a variety of activities such as developing robotic lunar rovers for commercial customers and a lunar telescope observatory that will be placed at the south pole of the moon for an international customer.

“As a company, we're quite involved in space exploration, and in particular one of our strengths is the area of lunar exploration. The moon presents a tricky environment because it has many of the dangerous aspects of space such as a high radiation environment, and remoteness, but it is also very challenging because the moon has very dramatic temperature swings,” said Sallaberger.

“From day time temperatures, it can drop down to extremely cold temperatures at night - to minus 200 degrees Celsius temperatures or even colder. The systems we design for the moon, if they're to survive a lunar night, have to be able to get really cold and warm up again and have everything continue to work. That's important for the electronics and computers and the brains of the system but also the mechanical pieces because when things get really cold, they shrink and then they expand when they warm up. If they are not carefully designed, things can come apart in that process.

After designing and building spaceflight hardware, Canadensys Aerospace performs a variety of tests at their Caledon facility. It houses several test facilities, including a cryogenic thermal chamber that can test space equipment down to extremely cold temperatures. They can do vacuum testing and accelerated lunar lifetime testing there. They also make use of advanced test facilities across Canada and have an agreement with NASA to do some testing of Canadensys spaceflight hardware there.

Canada has a long history of space involvement. Canada had their first satellite in space with the Alouette I in the 1960s, according to a Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' news release.

“We have certainly had a long history in space and that has continued through programs such as our involvement with the space shuttle in partnership with the U.S., and our involvement as a partner in the International Space Station, said Sallaberger.

“I think in terms of importance for our country, space exploration is one of those areas where we have internationally recognized expertise. There are some great spin offs from the Canadian space program in the area of terrestrial technology applications that are improving the lives of all Canadians and indeed of humanity in general.  Our space program is a source of national pride and international prestige. Not only is it an economic powerhouse, but it inspires our youth, and fulfills our human need to explore and understand our place in the universe.

“The Government of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency are now doing the studies and technology development, so they can make an informed decision on what role Canada should play in space exploration going forward. Certainty as a company we believe it's the right thing that Canada should be doing and we're very supportive of it.”