Space exploration and research has become a booming industry and some players believe Canada is poised to become a serious player.

Christine Tovee, chief technology officer at the satellite imagery firm Wyvern, said Canada’s business interests in space are growing and the country has the expertise needed to excel.

“We’re seeing a lot of action right now in Canada,” she told BNN Bloomberg in a television interview this week.

She pointed to space-related skills in the country when it comes to robotics, AI and earth observation, her speciality area.

 “We have a lot of capability, we have a lot of people who are excited about it, who are world renowned.”


SATELLITES AND ROBOTICS

Wyvern recently launched a pair of satellites into orbit which will transmit images of features not seen with the human eye, such as infrared.

Tovee said the images will help identify wildfire risk areas and distressed plants, among other uses.

“It gives us a lot more data to make decisions when we’re in a global race to save the planet,” she said.

When it comes to areas of the space race that Canadians might specialize in, Tovee said robotics used to clean up space debris may be an emerging industry.

According to NASA, there is about 23,000 pieces of “space junk” larger than a softball orbiting the planet, with many smaller pieces still capable of disrupting space operations.

“Space is getting congested,” she said. “We need to decide how we’re going to manage the space in lower Earth orbit. Robotics is going to be a part of that.”

'NATIONAL PRIDE'

David Haight, director of economic analysis, international and regulatory affairs at the Canadian Space Agency, said Canada’s space research contributions have long been a source of pride for those involved.

“We have over 40 universities across the country that are doing space research, so it’s really a point of national pride,” he said in a television interview Wednesday.

“We’re pushing the envelope in terms of cutting edge technologies that are going to have benefits back on Earth.”


Earlier this week, India became the fourth country to land a rover on the moon and the first to do so near its south pole.

Haight said Canada is planning its own south pole moon landing for as early as 2026. The rover would examine the geology in the area and search the region for signs of water, Haight added.

“Canada’s in the game, we’re a player when it comes to this,” he said.