Canada Launches Initiative to Protect Satellites

- by Shaun McDougall
illustration of a satellite with solar panels in orbit above the earth

RADARSAT-2 Remote Sensing Satellite Illustration. Source: Canadian Space Agency

The Canadian Department of National Defence has launched an initiative to develop new capabilities to protect satellites.  The effort has been dubbed “Shields Up,” a reference to the popular Star Trek series of television shows and movies.

Satellites are vulnerable to enemy attacks of various types, including cyber-attacks, jamming, directed energy, and missiles.  The threats faced by satellites go beyond potential adversarie and include hazards like solar flares or collisions with space debris.

The DND has issued a solicitation for proposals, and will award CAD200,000 ($151,000) contracts for some ideas to be fleshed out over a six-month period.  Solutions with the most potential could receive a further CAD1 million ($754,000) for continued development.

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About Shaun McDougall

As editor of International Military Markets, North America, Shaun has cultivated a deep understanding of the vast defense markets in the United States and Canada. Shaun's perspective on defense procurement and budget issues has been cited in a variety of defense periodicals, including Defense News and National Defense Magazine. Further, Shaun played an integral role in the development of Forecast International's U.S. Defense Budget Forecast product, which offers an unprecedented level of insight into the Pentagon's acquisition budget. In addition to providing original analytical content for the U.S. Defense Budget Forecast, Shaun oversees an internal defense budget forecasting process involving Forecast International's team of skilled systems analysts following release of the DoD's annual budget request. Shaun is also in charge of managing Forecast International's Weapons Inventory database.

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