Country dossier · CAN

Canada

Advanced space-faring nation

A sourced snapshot of Canada's posture in space — capability, institutions, orbital assets, law and people. Every figure carries its primary source; gaps are shown honestly, never filled with invented data.

Open Canada in the interactive workspace →

Capability tier

Advanced space-faring nation

Launches to orbit from its own territory: noLaunch sites on record: 2Nationals who have flown: 12

Source: ALL IN SPACE capability ladder · see methodology

Space agency

Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

National space agency · established 1989 · two-source verified

Source: UNOOSA · Worldwide Space Agencies directory

Satellites (owner state)

73

Counted from the GCAT May 2026 snapshot. The interactive workspace shows a live CelesTrak figure, which uses different owner-attribution rules and will differ.

Source: GCAT · General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell) · May 2026 snapshot

Ground stations

13

Source: ALL IN SPACE curated ground-station dataset (operator-sourced)

Space budget

$500M

Developing spender · 2026 · Canadian Space Agency

Source: Canadian Space Agency

National strategy

Exploration, Imagination, Innovation: A New Space Strategy for Canada (2019)

Five-pillar strategy centred on Lunar Gateway participation, robotics, AI, EO and commercial sector growth

Source: Published national space strategies and policies

International space law

InstrumentStatus
Outer Space Treaty 1967Ratified
Rescue Agreement 1968Ratified
Liability Convention 1972Ratified
Registration Convention 1975Ratified
Moon Agreement 1979Not a party
Artemis Accords 2020Signatory (2020-10-13)

Source: Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space (1 January 2026)

Launch sites

  • Spaceport Nova Scotia (Canso)Maritime Launch Services · Canso, Nova Scotia · orbital planned · since 2023
  • Churchill Rocket Research RangeHistorically National Research Council Canada (closed) · Churchill, Manitoba · retired · since 1957

Source: National launch site roster · ALL IN SPACE compilation

Astronauts

  • Marc GarneauCSA · first flight 1984 · First Canadian in space
  • Roberta BondarCSA · first flight 1992 · First Canadian woman in space
  • Steve MacLeanCSA · first flight 1992
  • Chris HadfieldCSA · first flight 1995 · First Canadian to walk in space and command ISS
  • Robert ThirskCSA · first flight 1996
  • Bjarni TryggvasonCSA · first flight 1997
  • Dafydd WilliamsCSA · first flight 1998
  • Julie PayetteCSA · first flight 1999 · Later Governor General of Canada 2017-2021
  • Guy LaliberteSpace Adventures · first flight 2009 · Cirque du Soleil founder; private space tourist
  • David Saint-JacquesCSA · first flight 2018
  • Jeremy HansenCSA · first flight 2026 · Artemis II crew; first non-American to fly beyond LEO
  • Joshua KutrykCSA · first flight 2017 · Selected 2017; assigned to ISS 2026

Source: Astronaut biographies

Milestones

  • 1957First orbital launch from national soil
  • 1984First national in space
  • 1989Canadian Space Agency (CSA) established

Notable missions and contributions

  • Canadarm2/Dextre (ISS robotics)
  • Canadarm3 (Lunar Gateway)
  • RADARSAT Constellation (Earth observation/Arctic surveillance)
  • Artemis II (launched 1 April 2026, splashdown 10 April 2026): first crewed Artemis mission; CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to fly around the Moon, alongside NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch (completed)
  • Telesat Lightspeed: Canada's largest-ever space program; 198-satellite LEO broadband constellation backed by a C$2.14 billion repayable Government of Canada loan (announced 13 September 2024), with first satellites scheduled to launch in 2026
  • Canadian Lunar Utility Rover: on 29 July 2025 the Government of Canada awarded C$14.6 million in 18-month preparatory-study contracts to Canadensys Aerospace, MDA Space and Mission Control; part of a C$1.2 billion, 13-year investment to design and build a rover to assist Artemis astronauts on the Moon
  • RADARSAT Constellation Mission replenishment: on 4 December 2025 MDA Space was awarded an initial C$44.7 million contract to procure long-lead parts for an additional RCM satellite, under the C$1.012 billion, 15-year RADARSAT+ Earth-observation initiative