The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will receive substantial new government funding to extend the long-standing Radarsat satellite series, a keystone of the country’s climate change strategy and international disaster response, not to mention military surveillance. The agency allocation is $1.012 billion CDN (roughly $740,000 USD) over 15 years, a substantial boost to annual spending.
At roughly $66 million CDN a year, the new Radarsat+ program will enhance Earth observation beyond CSA’s typical $400-million annual budget for all programs, before special projects. And the money is needed: The Radarsat satellite series is well-regarded and heavily used by government stakeholders including the Canadian military, civil and environmental officials — as well as international space agencies like NASA or the European Space Agency. Canada already uses Radarsat data as part of the 17-agency International Disasters Charter contributions of satellite information that activates when major problems arise anywhere in the world. The current Radarsats, though healthy, are growing old.
The latest funding will do two things. First, Radarsat+ will add a fourth satellite to the already launched three-machine Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) made by MDA, which is expected to last until 2026 without intervention (although in good health, they could go longer.) The fourth satellite, flying as soon as feasible, would extend that timeline by years. Secondly, the Radarsat+ program (in its current form) will also fund the definition phase of a successor mission, called a “fourth-generation national sovereign satellite system,” aiming to launch in the 2030s. Manufacturing the successor system and launching it will require more money at some point, however.
The Radarsat series, Canada’s flagship Earth observation program, is somewhat akin to the United States’ long-running Landsat series. Like Landsat, Radarsat’s observations track change over decades and are essential for monitoring Canada’s lands and shores. The first Radarsat satellite launched in 1995 following decades of using aircraft-based radar for Canadian Earth observation. Though that satellite is long retired, its successor Radarsat-2 remains healthy (albeit at double its seven-year prime mission) after launching in 2007. The most recent RCM satellite series was next launched in 2019 for that mission’s own seven-year prime mission.
