Researchers from the University of Toronto will develop three microsatellites to help support next-generation situational awareness in Canada’s North.

The project, named Gray Jay Pathfinder, was announced today at the University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies, or UTIAS, by local members of Parliament Michael Levitt and Ali Ehassi.

Partners include UTIAS’s Space Flight Laboratory, headed by Associate Professor Robert Zee, the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, A.U.G. Signals Ltd. and Space Strategies Consulting Ltd.

“Increased trade and activity in the Arctic will create greater demand for the specialized services of the Canadian Armed Forces, including search and rescue, emergency response and environmental monitoring,” said Levitt. “Today’s contract will stimulate Canadian industry and academia in key technology areas.

 

Continue reading at University of Toronto.

Image via Belinda Groves, Task Force Imagery Technician courtesy of Department of National Defence.