Canada
2013 – Changing Context in Government Space Programs: National, Regional, and Local
As the commercial space sector matures, government space programs wrestle with defining the context and objectives for scientific and exploration activities while optimizing economic and societal return through space applications. International planning for space exploration activities provides a fr… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity, Packed with…
2013 – Japan Launch, Payload
Japan successfully conducted ## orbital launches in 2013, placing a variety of payloads into orbit for domestic customers. In 2013, Japan also signaled that it intends to compete in the global commercial market.
2013 – Land Imaging Snapshot
Collectively, land-imaging satellites—which are also known as Earth observation or remote sensing satellites—are systems used to observe, monitor, and track changes and developments on the Earth’s surface using a variety of optical or electronic imaging capabilities. Earth observation satellites may be distinguished from each other on the basis of spatial resolution—the level of detail their images are capable of recording. Another distinction is the sensor type, such as optical cameras, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), or various types of infrared and electronic imaging.
Economy: Space Economy – TSR 2013
Perspective – TSR 2013
Space Products and Services – TSR 2013
2012 – Emerging Technologies
While space has many practical applications that are already making real differences in people’s daily lives, many more research activities are still in the early stages of development. Depending on their maturity and complexity, the practical uses of these research avenues are not always well understood or guaranteed.
2012 – Ground Observatories, Astronomy
Astronomers are laying the groundwork for a new generation of extraordinarily large observatories. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Telescope will be the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope ever built. The SKA takes its name from the combined size of the collecting area of the thousands of individual dishes that comprise it, making it far more sensitive than any existing radio telescope.
2012 – On-Orbit Servicing
Much of the world depends on GEO satellites for defense, communication, science, and weather monitoring. These expensive assets eventually fail or run out of propellant, but refueling and maintaining them can extend their lives, giving their users more value. Servicing can also help make space more sustainable because broken and drifting satellites take up valuable real estate in GEO and pose a risk to neighboring systems.
2012 – Canada: Sapphire
The ability to minimize false detections of missile launches is a feature of Canada’s Sapphire spacecraft, launched in February 2013. The C$## million (US$## million) spacecraft, which features a unique orbit that positions it to track light reflected off of objects in space, offers space surveillance data to both Canada and the United States.