The Lightspeed gamble and Canadian sovereignty

The Canadian government is moving rapidly to create sovereign defense capabilities in space. It has just thrown a big financial lifeline to Telesat Canada to help ensure the success of its projected “Lightspeed” telecommunications satellite constellation. An earlier decision this year provided long-term funding through a lease agreement to establish Canada’s first spaceport for launching military satellites. Start-up financing has also been awarded through Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) to three Canadian space enterprises for rocket and satellite designs. In reaching for these new capabilities — new satellites, rockets and launch pads — the government is taking a leap of faith on as-yet-unproven Canadian assets. We are boldly building where Canada has never gone before.