30 décembre 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Canada's RADARSAT Constellation Mission is now operational and federal government departments will start receiving data from the surveillance and earth observation satellites.
The RADARSAT Constellation Mission, or RCM, was launched June 12 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The constellation of three satellites will provide daily images of Canada's territory and maritime approaches, as well as images of the Arctic, up to four times a day, according to the Canadian Space Agency. It will have daily access to 90 per cent of the world's surface. The RCM is also equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS), allowing improved detection and tracking of ships, including those conducting illegal fishing, the CSA noted.
The constellation is orbiting Earth at an altitude of 600 km. Each of the satellites has a life expectancy of seven years. The Canadian government owns the satellites. The three spacecraft were assembled in the Montreal area by the prime contractor MDA.
Over a dozen federal government departments and agencies will use RCM images. It is estimated that the Canadian government will use approximately 250,000 images from the satellite constellation every year. That represents a fiftyfold increase from the days of the first RADARSAT-1 system, according to the Canadian government.
The majority of the data transmitted from RCM is expected to be used by the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence.
RCM follows the highly successful RADARSAT-1, launched by NASA in 1995, and RADARSAT-2, put into orbit by the Russians in 2007.
Initial work on RCM began in 2005. The project cost an estimated $975 million.
The RCM project was led by the Canadian Space Agency and supported by its principal users: the Department of National Defence, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Public Safety Canada.
18 octobre 2023 | Local, Naval, Sécurité
South Korea's Hanwha Ocean has pitched offers to build submarines to Canada, the Philippines and Poland, a company official said on Wednesday, as the country pushes to become one of the world's top four defence exporters.
25 mars 2020 | Local, C4ISR
Rome, March 23, 2020 - Leonardo, through its German subsidiary Leonardo Germany GmbH, is proud to inform on the successful results of the official “Mid-Project Status Report” for the “Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Project” published by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The “Mid-Project Status Report” is established and updated on a yearly basis and summarizes the verification of the conformity between project execution and scheduled targets by the end of each year under review. The “Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Project”, which was awarded to Leonardo in 2016, comprises the design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning and training, as well as maintenance and technical support during the warranty phase, for twenty Klystron S-Band weather radars – plus thirteen additional radars in options - including infrastructure for existing and new radar sites running from Holyrood on the East Coast to Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada. Seven of the thirteen weather radars originally in options have meanwhile been placed as orders by ECCC. According to the “Mid-Project Status Report” recently published, project execution is fully in line with the scheduled time and cost frames. Twelve weather radars including infrastructure and agreed accessories were delivered. All radars were installed and put into operation precisely according to plan. Additional requirements for safety and increase in performance that had been set by ECCC during the design phase, were successfully implemented by Leonardo. Training and documentation were delivered, and maintenance works performed as scheduled. The cost-management proceeded within the frame of the agreed budget. Prior to the report, Leonardo's performance had been objectively assessed and evaluated according to ECCC's vendor performance evaluation system. The evaluation was conducted by the CWRRP/ECCC team in conjunction with PSPC Contracting Authority, including criteria Quality of Workmanship, Time, Project Management and Health and Safety. In the overall rating, Leonardo achieved a score of 83 of 100 possible points and with this result, one of the highest scores ever awarded in any Public Works and Government Services Canada contract up to now. The pleasantly positive overall results stated at Mid-Project term underpin Leonardo's strengths and excellence in contract execution even in most challenging weather radar projects. The “Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Project” is one of the largest and – especially in terms of technological complexity, infrastructure and environmental requirements - most demanding projects ever awarded to the weather radar industry. Canada is a key market for Leonardo, with interests and opportunities spanning from helicopters to airport solutions such as parcel handling systems and air traffic control systems. A major contract was signed in 2016 to replace the legacy Air Traffic Control (ATC) radars at 12 major Canadian airports including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary. LEONARDO Germany GmbH Leonardo Germany GmbH is the technology leader in weather radar systems worldwide, providing best-in-class systems in C-, S- and X-Band. Over the last 20 years, more than 500 high-end systems of the company's METEOR product line have been put into operation for leading meteorological service providers in over 80 Countries worldwide. Environment and Climate Change Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for coordinating environmental policies and programs as well as preserving and enhancing the natural environment and renewable resources. The Meteorological Service of Canada is a division of Environment and Climate Change Canada which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards. View source version on Leonardo : https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/23-03-2020-mid-project-status-report-published-leonardo-led-canadian-weather-radar-replacement-project-fully-on-schedule
8 octobre 2023 | Local, Terrestre, C4ISR
Military chaplains are seeing an increasing number of soldiers, sailors and aircrew who — squeezed by the soaring cost of living and stuck in a system that forces them to relocate — are in financial distress and seeking assistance.