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In Defence of Canada Briefing (Issue 13)

Marc Boucher — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:01:29 +0000

Editor’s Note Welcome to Issue 13 of the In Defence of Canada Briefing. A unifying thread through this week’s issue is the steady integration of commercial space capabilities into national security architectures. As our guest commentary points out, we have firmly entered the “geospatial era of warfare,” a landscape where commercial Earth observation and data providers are […]

Xona Space Systems targets Canadian Arctic with LEO PNT network

Marc Boucher — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:39:12 +0000

Xona Space Systems, a Burlingame, California-based company recently closed a $170 million Series C funding round to scale up its commercial Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Pulsar satellite network and continues to expand its activities in Canada.

DND launches Flatsat Prototype Challenge for space cybersecurity

Marc Boucher — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:55:43 +0000

The Department of National Defence through Innovative Solutions Canada have opened a new funding challenge to develop laboratory-based flatsat platform for cybersecurity experimentation. The initiative targets the growing need for secure hybrid space networks as defence operations increasingly rely on low Earth orbit satellite (LEO) constellations.

Investor demand drives Axiom Space to close $525 million financing round

Marc Boucher — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:30:28 +0000

Axiom Space has closed an oversubscribed financing round totalling more than US$525 million. The raise is US$175 million more than the previously announced figure in February of US$350 million. The new capital comes as the company works to meet specific milestones regarding its planned commercial space station and ongoing NASA contract requirements.

NASA issues order to space station astronauts to “shelter” for possible evacuation but rescinds it (updated)

Marc Boucher — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:58:47 +0000

There have been ongoing leaks in a Russian module on the International Space Station for some time. On Friday, out of an “abundance of caution,” NASA directed all four of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 members to move to the Dragon spacecraft. The order was later rescinded.

Canada offers $5 million to build satellite quantum communications link with the UK

Marc Boucher — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:49:51 +0000

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has posted a $5 million funding opportunity to develop a secure transatlantic quantum communications network. Interested companies must submit their applications by July 15, 2026.

Canada updates 2026 wildfire season, WildFireSat constellation to help when online

Marc Boucher — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:13:50 +0000

With 134 active wildland fires currently burning across the country, Canada faces another volatile 2026 wildfire season. Federal officials recently provided an update on the situation and forecast above-normal temperatures and escalating risks nationwide.

Spaceport Nova Scotia prepares for two suborbital hypersonic rocket launches this month

Marc Boucher — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:04:55 +0000

If all goes well then sometime between June 8-14, Dutch company T-Minus Engineering will launch two Barracuda hypersonic suborbital rockets within the allowed launch window on the same day from Spaceport Nova Scotia

BAE Systems taps MDA Space for medium Earth orbit missile warning satellite components

Marc Boucher — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:58:14 +0000

BAE Systems has selected MDA Space to provide key hardware for the U.S. Space Force MEO Epoch 2 constellation. Under the agreement, the company will design and build antennas and antenna control electronics for the satellites that monitor ballistic and hypersonic threats.

A look at the upcoming historic SpaceX IPO

Marc Boucher — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:34:33 +0000

The upcoming SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest in history to date, and if you invest in U.S. tech-heavy index funds you are likely to become a shareholder. But what is truly unprecedented in its scope, and could change history in ways we can’t yet comprehend, is how the company will be structured. One person, Elon Musk, will retain absolute voting control of this new ‘public’ mega-conglomerate.