Now that the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) is observing Earth from space, the Government of Canada is looking at options for its successor. The future solution will ensure Canadians continue to benefit from the important services enabled by high-quality Earth observation data.
What comes next is now the big question. With so many technologies in place and with new ones to come, the Government of Canada wants to hear businesses' innovative ideas for how best to succeed the RCM and meet Canada's increasing needs for Earth observation data.
In planning for beyond the RCM, the Government of Canada aims to leverage Canadian expertise, state-of-the art space technologies and global trends in Earth observation. This will also enable the delivery of responsive and cost-effective services of importance to Canadians.
The request for proposal is open to Canadian industry until March 20, 2020.
Quotes
"In a country as vast as ours, Earth observation data helps our government to make evidence-based decisions to keep Canadians safe, protect our environment and manage our country's natural resources. We are now planning for the RADARSAT Constellation Mission's successor so that Canadians can continue to benefit from important services empowered by space."
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Quick facts
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Building on the RADARSAT legacy, the RCM provides critical data for the Government of Canada to tackle key challenges on Earth and deliver services to Canadians in areas like climate change and ecosystem monitoring, maritime surveillance and disaster management.
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Over a dozen federal departments use RCM data to deliver services to Canadians. It is estimated that the Government of Canada will use 250,000 RCM images per year, a fiftyfold increase from RADARSAT-1 days two decades ago.
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Three satellite missions have been launched as part of the RADARSAT program: RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2 and the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM). These missions have established Canada as a world leader in space-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology.
