November 16, 2007 (5:45 p.m. EST)
No. 162
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that the
Government of Canada has issued an operating licence for RADARSAT-2, Canada’s
newest, privately owned and operated remote sensing space system.
“We are very pleased to have enabled a new generation of highly advanced Canadian
satellites,” said Mr. Bernier. “Enhanced Earth observations will increase Canada’s ability
to exercise our sovereignty in the Far North—an important priority for our government.
And by providing high-resolution images of disaster areas, including affected
infrastructure such as airports, roads and bridges, RADARSAT-2 will also be an
indispensable tool to speed rescue missions and humanitarian aid to those most in
need at home, in the Americas and around the world.”
The operating licence for RADARSAT-2 is the first to be issued under the new Remote
Sensing Space Systems Act. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada led the
government’s efforts to bring into effect this new legislation regulating the operation of
remote sensing satellites with increased capabilities. Under the Act, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs has licensing authority and is responsible for balancing the economic
prosperity of Canadians with the national security and foreign policy dimensions of the
technology.
The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the
Canadian Space Agency, lauded the licence as marking a new era for Canada’s space
industry. “The space sector now has a clear road map to follow, particularly those
companies developing imaging satellites,” said Mr. Prentice. “RADARSAT-2 sends a
clear signal to the world that Canada intends to lead in this space activity.”
RADARSAT-2 is the product of a unique public-private partnership between the
Canadian Space Agency and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA). Once
launched, the satellite will be owned by MDA and operated by MDA Geospatial
Services Inc. RADARSAT-2 will ensure the continuity of data services for government
departments, the scientific community and a growing number of commercial clients.
For more information, please visit the following web site:
http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/satellites/radarsat2/default.asp
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A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca
Backgrounder
RADARSAT-2
In 1995, the Government of Canada launched RADARSAT-1, the country’s first
synthetic aperture radar remote sensing satellite. RADARSAT-1 is owned and operated
by the Canadian government, while industry participates in the distribution of data and
remote sensing products generated by the system. Soon after the launch of
RADARSAT-1, efforts turned toward the development of a follow-on system with
increased private-sector funding. RADARSAT-1 continues to be operational.
RADARSAT-2 is the product of a unique public-private partnership between the
Canadian Space Agency and the Agency’s prime contractor MacDonald, Dettwiler and
Associates Ltd. (MDA). The Government of Canada’s commitment to the success of
RADARSAT-2 is reflected in the advance payment the government made to MDA for
data to be received over the lifetime of the satellite. On launch, RADARSAT-2 will
become Canada’s first privately owned and operated remote sensing space system.
However, rapidly advancing satellite technologies in the hands of the private sector
required oversight by the Government of Canada to address issues of national security,
defence, international relations and Canada’s international obligations. The Remote
Sensing Space Systems Act, which came into force in April 2007, addresses these
concerns. The Act also enables Canadian industry to compete successfully as a
provider of remote sensing space data and products for governments and commercial
users, both domestic and foreign.
RADARSAT-2 is to be launched in December 2007 on a Soyuz rocket from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The satellite has been designed with significant
technical advancements including three-metre high-resolution imaging, flexibility in
polarization selection, left- and right-looking imaging options, and superior data storage.
The capabilities of the RADARSAT-2 satellite will help keep Canada at the forefront of
remote sensing space system operations throughout its planned seven-year mission
life.
