Four decades after the U.S. first began to encourage commercial space launch programs, Canada has finally gotten serious about promoting its homegrown space industries.
It launched the Commercial Integration Cell in May and the National Space Council in April after two years of planning. Both are intended to increase collaboration and communication between the government and the private sector, and were inspired by steps the U.S. had taken years earlier. Telesat Corp. Chief Executive Officer Dan Goldberg said in an interview that Canada’s cell is “long overdue.”
So far, just a few companies like MDA Space Ltd. and Telesat are participating in the integration cell due to the extensive clearance process, according to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 7 Wing space operational command.
“The current governmental process, that is outside the Department of National Defence, is…
