Feds to spend almost $700M on new RADARSAT Constellation Mission satellite

Feds to spend almost $700M on new RADARSAT Constellation Mission satellite

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says satellite will help 'safeguard Canada’s sovereignty' in the North

The Liberal government will spend almost $700 million to build, test and launch a new satellite for Canada's RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM).

The RCM, launched in 2019, is made up of three identical satellites that work together providing observational data to help officials, tracking Canada's Arctic sea ice; monitoring floods; assisting with maritime emergencies; and studying environmental change.

The government said in a statement that because RCM's monitoring mission is focused in the North, it also helps "safeguard Canada’s sovereignty and support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance."

"Through this investment, we are reinforcing Canada’s sovereign satellite capabilities and equipping industry and the Canadian Armed Forces with the intelligence they need to protect communities, inform decisions and keep Canada secure," Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement.

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This new replenishment satellite will ensure the system has redundancy capabilities and help maintain coverage of Canada's North as older satellites reach the end of their working life.

The $688-million contract to MDA Space Ltd. is part of the federal government's 15-year, $1 billion RADARSAT+ initiative announced in 2023 that is also designing and developing the next-generation satellite system that will eventually replace RCM.

A government statement said that relying on a commercial satellite design will reduce risks and accelerate the delivery timeline. The target launch date for the replenishment satellite is sometime in the early 2030s.

Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News who reports for digital, radio and television. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Vintage.