The Canadian Space Agency (CSA; ) is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the Canadian Space Agency Act.
The president is Lisa Campbell, who took the position on September 3, 2020. The agency is responsible to the minister of innovation, science and industry. The CSA's headquarters are located at the John H. Chapman Space Centre in Longueuil, Quebec. The agency also has offices in Ottawa, Ontario, and small liaison offices in Houston; Washington, D.C.; and Paris.
History
The origins of the Canadian upper atmosphere and space program can be traced back to the end of the Second World War. Between 1945 and 1960, Canada undertook a number of small launcher and satellite projects under the aegis of defence research, including the development of the Black Brant rocket as well as series of advanced studies examining both orbital rendezvous and re-entry. In 1957, scientists and engineers at the Canadian Defence Research Telecommunications Establishment (DRTE) under the leadership of John H. Chapman embarked on a project initially known simply as S-27 or the Topside Sounder Project. This work would soon lead to the development of Canada's first satellite known as Alouette 1.
With the launch of Alouette 1 in September 1962, Canada became the third country to put an artificial satellite into space. At the time, Canada only possessed upper atmospheric launch capabilities (sounding rockets), therefore, Alouette 1 was sent aloft by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, California. The technical excellence of the satellite, which lasted for ten years instead of the expected one, prompted the further study of the ionosphere with the joint Canadian-designed, U.S.-launched ISIS satellite program. This undertaking was designated an International Milestone of Electrical Engineering by IEEE in 1993. The launch of Anik A-1 in 1972 made Canada the first country in the world to establish its own domestic geostationary communication satellite network.
These and other space-related activities in the 1980s compelled the Canadian government to promulgate the Canadian Space Agency Act, which established the Canadian Space Agency. The act received royal assent on May 10, 1990, and came into force on December 14, 1990.
The mandate of the Canadian Space Agency is to promote the peaceful use and development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians. The Canadian Space Agency's mission statement says that the agency is committed to leading the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity.
In 1999 the CSA was moved from project-based to "A-base" funding and given a fixed annual budget of $300 million. The actual budget varies from year to year due to additional earmarks and special projects. In 2009, Dr. Nicole Buckley was appointed chief scientist of life science.
Presidents
1989 – May 4, 1992—Larkin Kerwin
May 4, 1992 – July 15, 1994—Roland Doré
November 21, 1994 – 2001—William MacDonald Evans
November 22, 2001 – November 28, 2005—Marc Garneau
April 12, 2007 – December 31, 2007—Larry J. Boisvert
January 1, 2008 - September 2, 2008—Guy Bujold
September 2, 2008 – February 1, 2013—Steven MacLean
February 2, 2013 – August 5, 2013—Gilles Leclerc (interim) August 6, 2013 – November 3, 2014—Walter Natynczyk November 3, 2014 - March 9, 2015—Luc Brûlé, Interim March 9, 2015 - September 14, 2020—Sylvain Laporte September 14, 2020 – present—Lisa Campbell
Cooperation with the European Space Agency
The CSA has been a cooperating state of the European Space Agency (ESA) since the 1970s and has several formal and informal partnerships and collaborative programs with space agencies in other countries, such as NASA, ISRO, JAXA, and SNSA.