Canadian Space Commerce Association – An Industry Group to Promote and Support Canadian Businesses

Here are some of the associations and alliances; educational facilities; entrepreneurial organizations; government departments; growing regional advocates and groups; media, magazines, books and reports; museums; space jobs and even unions that help to tie everything together:

• The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) – A not-for-profit organization advocating on aerospace policy issues that have a direct impact on aerospace companies and aerospace jobs in Canada. Heavily involved in the ongoing aerospace review, which also intends to address the Canadian space systems industry.

• The Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) – A nonprofit technical organization for aeronautics, space and remote sensing.

• The Canadian Space Society (CSS) – A non-profit corporation promoting Canadian space activities. Organizes the annual Canadian Space Summit.

• Friends of the CRC – An association of alumni of the Communications Research Centre (CRC), the government department responsible for most of Canada’s early satellite launches. Provides articles on early Canadian efforts by some of the people who were actually there.

• Mitacs – A national, not-for-profit research organization, developing the next generation of Canadian innovators.

• Polytechnics Canada – The “voice of leading research-intensive, publicly funded colleges and institutes of technology.” Strong advocate for moving some of the government money focused on R&D out of universities and into colleges and trade schools.

• The Space Angels Network – an American based network of angel investors that also accepts investors and clients from Canadian and Europe, focused on the aviation and aerospace markets, but includes space-themed business (such as entertainment / media projects).

Educational Facilities

• The Carlton University Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering – They came in third in the 2008 NASA Great Moon Buggy Race.

• The Centre for Planetary Science & Exploration at the University of Western Ontario – Focused on building planetary science, exploration and space systems design.

• Laurentian University – Awarded the 2011 Lunabotics Challenge to a team from Laurentian University according to this May 31st press release on the NASA Lunar Science Institute website.

• The University of Alberta Centre for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS) -Using Earth observation and imaging technology monitor environmental changes, manage resources and formulate sustainable development policies.

• The University of Alberta Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology (ISSET) – A pioneering interdisciplinary centre for p1lanetary and space research in Canada at one of Canada’s largest research-intensive universities. One of the organizers of the Canada-Norway Student Sounding Rocket (CaNoRock) exchange program.

• The University of Guelph Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) – Part of Ontario Agricultural College, CESRF and its Space and Advanced Life Support Agriculture program focus on plant research for space and other closed environment related activities. Possesses useful connections with the Canadian Space Agency and the strong support of NASA’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) community.

• The University of Saskatchewan – Home of the University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team (USST), a student run organization which dominated the recent NASA sponsored Space Elevator Games and is now preparing to build a nano-satellite as part of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CSDC).

• The University of Waterloo – Home of the University of Waterloo Mars Rover Team which competed in the 2011 University Rover Challenge, an annual event organized by the US based Mars Society.

Entrepreneurial Organizations

• The Alberta Space Program -A listing of Alberta space imaging, science and business activities “attracting international investment.” Compiled by the Aviation Alberta Space Industry Panel and posted on the Government of Alberta Economic Development website.

• The Canadian Association of Business Incubators (CABI) – Dedicated to the development of new enterprises.

• The Canadian Space Commerce Association (CSCA) – A registered Canadian not-for-profit industry organization existing to advance the economic, legal and political environment for space and aerospace focused companies.

• The MaRS Discovery District – A Toronto business incubator focused on the medical and IT industries but open to new ideas. Hosted the national CSCA conference and AGM in 2008 (the Accelerating Space Conference), 2009 (the Canadian Newspace Conference focused on “Domestic and International Opportunities for 2009 and Beyond“), 2010 (the 2010 CSCA Conference and Annual General Meeting highlighting “the growing Canadian Commercial Space Sector“) and 2011 (the 2011 CSCA Conference and Annual General Meeting assessing “the Next Breakthrough Space Technologies for Canada“).

• The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) – Established in 1946, the CCC is a federal Crown corporation mandated to promote and facilitate international trade on behalf of Canadian industry, particularly within government markets. The Corporation’s two business lines are structured to support Canadian companies contracting into the defense sector, primarily with the United States, and Canadian exporters contracting into emerging and developing country markets.

• The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – The federal government agency responsible for Canada’s civilian space program. The CSA was established in March 1989 under the Canadian Space Agency Act and works with the Department of National Defense (DND) on military space focused activities and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) on activities related to international cooperation and technology transfer. The Chief Executive Officer of the agency is the President who reports to the Minister of Industry, who is responsible for overseeing the Canadian government’s economic development and corporate affairs department, Industry Canada.

• Industry Canada – The CSA is governed by Industry Canada policies on Canadian science and technology (S&T) including the Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage report (May 2007), the Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage Progress Report (June 2009) and various other federal government position papers relating to S&T innovation, research and technology. Portions of the Industry Canada mandate are currently being reviewed by the Federal Review of Aerospace and Space Programs and Policies, announced in February 2012 by Industry Minister Christian Paradis and the just concluded Review of Federal Support to Research and Development (or “Jenkins panel“).

• The National Research Council (NRC) – The primary Canadian government resource for science and technology (S&T) funding. The NRC works with the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) and the Networks of Centres of Excellence. Portions on the NRC mandate and funding mechanisms are currently being reviewed by the Federal Review of Aerospace and Space Programs and Policies, announced in February 2012 by Industry Minister Christian Paradis and the just concluded Review of Federal Support to Research and Development (or “Jenkins panel“).

• The Calgary Space Workers Society – Local advocacy group focused on how “to live and work in space.”

• Space Launch Canada – A federally incorporated initiative dedicated to building a space launch facility in British Columbia.

• The University of Toronto Space Design Contest (UTSDC) – An independent, student run organization from the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto which holds an annual contest for high school students to solve challenging space-related problems.

Media, Magazines, Books and Reports

• Canadian Space Flight History – A short history of Canadian efforts by Chris Gainor, the author of Arrows to the Moon and Canada in Space.

• Canada’s 50 Years in Space: The COSPAR Anniversary – Provides a thorough description of the parallel growth of the Canadian space science program and the international activities of the Paris based Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) from 1958 up until the 50th Anniversary of COSPAR in 2008. Written by Gordon Shepherd and Agnes Kruchio.

• The Chapman Report – Canada is today an international leader in the fields of communications and remote sensing because of John Chapman (1921-1979) who was senior author of a report entitled “Upper Atmosphere and Space Programs in Canada.” The document, written in 1967 and now known simply as the “Chapman Report,” recommended using Canadian satellite and space technology for commercial activities such as communications and resource management instead of focusing only on scientific research. Over time, the report became “Canada’s Original Blueprint” for space activities.

• LEO on the Cheap – By Lt. Col. John R. London III. A fascinating read on methods to achieve drastic reductions in launch costs. Part of the Dunn Engineering website.

• Orbital Hub – Canadian based blog “where space exploration, science and engineering meet” with a heavy focus on robotics and micro-sats.

• The Space Report – The “authoritative guide to international space activities” published by the Space Foundation, one of the world’s premier nonprofit organizations supporting space activities, space professionals and education. The Space Foundation Introduction to Space Activities is also worth taking a look at.

• The Canadian Air and Space Museum – Telling distinctly Canadian stories of aviation, space history and innovation. The museum is located in the original 1929 home of the de Havilland Aircraft (one of Canada’s most successful aircraft manufacturers) and SPAR Aerospace (the original developer of the iconic Canadarm remote manipulator system for the US space shuttle and the International Space Station).

• The Canadian Auto Workers – Canada’s largest private sector union also represents aerospace employees at Boeing Canada (Local 2169), Bombardier/ de Havilland (Local 112), Cascade Aerospace (Local 114), CMC Electronics, Magellan Aerospace/ Bristol (Local 3005) and Pratt and Whitney Canada (Local 510).