Canadian Space Agency assignment focuses on Artemis II readiness - Skies Mag

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  13 décembre 2022 | Local, Aérospatial

  Des technologies canadiennes en route vers la Lune!

  Des pays du monde entier se préparent à retourner sur la Lune et le Canada joue un rôle majeur dans cette grande initiative inspirante. Ce matin à 2 h 38 HE, deux technologies canadiennes ont été lancées vers la Lune à bord d'une fusée Falcon 9 de SpaceX dans le cadre de Mission 1 de l'entreprise japonaise ispace. Canadensys Aerospace Corporation (Canadensys) et Mission Control testeront leurs technologies de pointe afin de s'assurer qu'elles résisteront aux conditions hostiles de la Lune. Cette mission commerciale se posera sur la Lune au printemps 2023. Canadensys fournira à cette mission un système d'imagerie à 360° doté d'intelligence artificielle et de plusieurs caméras. Ce système résistant aux conditions hostiles de l'environnement lunaire sera notamment utilisé pour prendre des images de chacun des rovers de l'Agence japonaise d'exploration spatiale et du centre spatial Mohammed-bin-Rashid des Émirats arabes unis, à mesure qu'ils s'éloignent de l'atterrisseur d'ispace en direction opposée. L'entreprise Mission Control fera la démonstration d'un ordinateur de vol doté d'intelligence artificielle pour classifier les caractéristiques géologiques pendant le déplacement d'un rover. Habituellement, cette classification est réalisée sur Terre. Ce système pourrait ouvrir de nouvelles possibilités : les rovers pourraient exécuter eux-mêmes certaines choses, par exemple pour ce qui est de la navigation et de la classification du terrain. Une troisième entreprise, NGC Aérospatiale Ltée, recevra de l'imagerie de cette mission pour tester son système de positionnement semblable à la technologie GPS utilisée sur Terre. Elle s'en servira aussi pour préparer une future mission où cette technologie guidera les véhicules lunaires vers un endroit précis où ils pourront atterrir en toute sécurité. L'Agence spatiale canadienne a financé ces trois projets dans le cadre du Programme d'accélération de l'exploration lunaire. Grâce à ce financement, les entreprises auront sept occasions différentes de tester leurs technologies sur la Lune ou en orbite lunaire au cours des prochaines années. Citations « Aujourd'hui, grâce au soutien de l'Agence spatiale canadienne, deux technologies canadiennes révolutionnaires ont été lancées à bord de la Mission 1 de l'entreprise ispace. Ce lancement est un autre exemple d'entreprises canadiennes qui sont des figures de proue de cette nouvelle ère des plus palpitantes de l'exploration spatiale. Ces technologies contribueront à renforcer les capacités au Canada et à réduire les coûts des missions, tout en positionnant notre pays comme un partenaire de choix dans de futures initiatives spatiales. » - L'honorable François-Philippe Champagne, ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et de l'Industrie Faits en bref En 2019, le Canada a annoncé sa participation au prochain chapitre de l'histoire de l'exploration de la Lune. Le Programme d'accélération de l'exploration lunaire prépare le secteur spatial canadien au retour des êtres humains sur la Lune grâce à un investissement de 150 millions de dollars sur cinq ans pour aider les petites et moyennes entreprises canadiennes à mettre au point de nouvelles technologies qui seront utilisées et testées en orbite lunaire et sur la Lune. Un total de 3,3 millions de dollars en contributions a été accordé à Canadensys (2,49 millions de dollars) et à NGC Aérospatiale Ltée. (726 000 dollars) en 2020. Une contribution de 3 millions de dollars a été accordée à Mission Control en 2021. En 2019, le secteur spatial canadien a soutenu près de 23 000 emplois (directs et indirects) et contribué pour 2,5 milliards de dollars à l'économie canadienne. Les PME constituent 94 % des entreprises du secteur spatial canadien. https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-spatiale/nouvelles/2022/11/des-technologies-canadiennes-en-route-vers-la-lune.html

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  29 juillet 2019 | Local, Naval

  Ottawa company receives Royal Canadian Navy support contract

  DAVID PUGLIESE BMT Canada Ltd. has been awarded a $77.8 million contract to provide engineering, logistics, management, and support services to the Royal Canadian Navy's fleet. The contract initially runs for five years but there are options to extend that. The Ottawa-based company will provide a wide variety of work such as standards development and logistics services for equipment sustainment, according to the Department of National Defence. This contract will support the RCN's current and future fleet in instances where DND does not have the capacity to perform all of this work in-house, the department noted. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/ottawa-company-receives-navy-support-contract

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  6 juillet 2020 | Local, Naval

  DND denies misjudging supply ship cost even though price tag jumped to $4.1 billion

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Updated: July 2, 2020 The defence department denies it ever misjudged the cost of a project to buy new naval ships even though the price tag jumped from $2.3 billion to $4.1 billion in less than two years. And DND admits the cost to taxpayers for the vessels could rise even more in the coming years. The Liberal government acknowledged on June 15 that the cost of the project to buy two Joint Support Ships has increased to $4.1 billion. The vessels are needed by the Royal Canadian Navy as they would provide fuel, ammunition and other supplies to warships at sea. But the $4.1 billion price tag is just the latest in a series of steadily increasing cost figures. In June 2018, the government acknowledged the cost of the ship project had, at that time, jumped from $2.3 billion to $3.4 billion. But Seaspan, the Vancouver shipyard that is to build the vessels, provided a new set of numbers in October 2019 and by February 2020 government approval was received for a new budget of $4.1 billion, DND confirmed in an email to this newspaper. “As with any large-scale procurement project, all project values are best estimates that are based on the data and figures available at the time,” the email added. There has been no misjudging of costs on the JSS project, the department noted. In 2013, the Parliamentary Budget Officer questioned DND's JSS cost estimates and warned that the project would require $4.13 billion. DND stated in its email to this newspaper that taxpayers can be assured they are getting value for money on JSS and that those working on the shipbuilding project in both the department and Public Services and Procurement Canada are top notch. “The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, along with our counterparts at PSPC, have a first-rate cadre of experienced, professional procurement officers, subject matter experts and financial administrators who take great pride in their work and in their accomplishments,” DND said in an email. “Our team has – and will continue to – ensure that Canadians get value from their investments in the Armed Forces.” But DND also acknowledged costs could continue to rise. “While the total project budget includes contingency funding for these types of reasons, some events may happen unexpectedly and thus excel what the contingency funding allowed for,” the DND email noted. “As a result, it's possible that cost estimates may change for a variety of reasons that can't be controlled or predicted.” Conservative MP Kelly McCauley said DND's claim that project costs weren't misjudged is “BS.” “I don't even have faith in their latest cost of $4.1 billion,” added McCauley, who is behind the effort to get the Parliamentary Budget Officer to do a new report looking at JSS. “It's going to go up.” McCauley said the JSS design is based on the Berlin-class, an existing and proven German Navy ship. But he noted that DND and PSPC keep making changes to the ship, driving up costs and adding delays. DND noted that, “it's not uncommon for the cost estimate to change throughout the duration of a project, especially for a first-of-class ship.” DND also pointed out the construction contract with Seaspan may be changed throughout the duration of the project but added that does not necessarily mean the project budget will increase. The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates recently passed McCauley's motion to request the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer undertake a costing analysis of building the JSS in Canada as well as the leasing of Asterix, a commercial ship converted into a supply vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy to use. The PBO report will be presented to the committee by Oct. 15. The Asterix, converted by Davie shipyards in Quebec, was at the centre of the two-year legal battle Vice Adm. Mark Norman found himself in when the RCMP charged him with breach of trust. The police force alleged Norman had tipped off Davie that the Liberal government was planning to delay its Asterix deal. The legal case against Norman collapsed in 2019, forcing the federal government to pay the naval officer an undisclosed financial settlement as well as prompting questions about whether the charge had been politically motivated. The Asterix turned out to be a procurement success and since 2018 has been used to refuel and resupply Royal Canadian Navy and allied warships. The Liberal government tried to derail the Asterix project shortly after being elected in the fall of 2015. The move came after cabinet ministers, including Scott Brison and defence minister Harjit Sajjan, received a letter from the Irving family with a complaint that the Irving proposal for a similar supply ship was not examined properly. Irving has denied any suggestion it was involved in political meddling. But after receiving the letter from the Irvings, the Liberals decided to put Asterix on hold. The government, however, had to back off that plan after news of its decision leaked out to the news media. Shortly after, the RCMP began investigating Norman. https://o.canada.com/news/national/defence-watch/dnd-denies-misjudging-supply-ship-cost-even-though-price-tag-jumped-to-4-1-billion/wcm/6743dc85-efb0-457c-90b9-be1b2d204868