By Luke Wagner ‘27
Cube satellites are tiny (10x10x10cm), powerful satellites that allow hands-on building of space hardware. Due to being very cheap, they are the perfect way to foster innovation and help address Canadian challenges such as monitoring climate change far up north where there are few people. These tiny satellites are already making a difference in Canada:
- Kepler communications: A University of Toronto company similar to Starlink has started to use CubeSats to build a global internet network.
- ArcticSat: A project founded by Dalhousie University and the northern community of Chesterfield Inlet aims to provide sea ice data. This data is vital to make sure the yearly shipments of food and supplies are able to make it to the community safely. Fun fact: there is a Netflix series called “High Arctic Haulers” addressing exactly this problem and how even one mistake or unforeseen storm can cause people to go hungry.
- Students and companies in Western Canada are trying to grow CubeSat development in order to monitor Canadian terrain. This is especially important for BC because of our topography which interferes with signals.
Additionally, there are a few companies here in BC developing larger, more technical satellites. First, there is MDA Space, a global leader in communications and robotics headquartered in Richmond, who are trying to advance space robotics and satellite systems. Local universities are also joining in on satellite projects – UBC is building an Earth observation satellite called ALEASAT to support disaster relief, and University of Victoria, in collaboration with UBC and SFU, is making a satellite called MARMOTSat to image the Earth, its oceans, and the atmosphere.
Cube satellites mark a major shift in the global space sector. Until now, only large companies were able to send up satellites and record data. Now, with a more accessible way for companies to get into the market, we should see a boom in technological advancements in this area. With more competition, everyone’s technology will become better, turbo boosting this sector. I hope that people continue to use cube satellites and make similar inventions, so we can unlock better monitoring for climate change, weather, etc.
Other provinces are also starting to develop their own unique satellites – Alberta has already built two satellites to measure wildfire spread, and is currently working on developing a solely student-built satellite called STEVE to study auroras and space. Saskatchewan is also developing a homemade satellite used to ‘collect experimental radiation data from orbit’.
These company spotlights and technological advancements give us a glimpse of the possible future of satellites. There are endless possibilities for measurement and monitoring that could help give early warning for natural disasters and find ways to reduce climate change.
But CubeSats are not without their problems – they are not a complete solution yet. Canadian space regulations still call for all satellites to have mechanisms to exit the orbit of Earth, propel themselves to prevent collisions, and they need to be proven to be durable and reliable before being launched. These constraints will be very difficult to achieve for such small satellites, and defeats the purpose of them. If such rules have to be met, the cost effectiveness and ease of use will be eroded. The US has already changed laws in order to allow CubeSats to have less stringent rules due to their small size, but Canada has yet to follow suit. In order to keep up with the rate of innovation of these satellites, we need to change our laws. I also think the sector could benefit from some government funding. This area is likely going to have a fast-growing market, so these changes would ensure that Canada remains a leader in the field.
Overall, I am excited to learn more about this technology as the limits are pushed. I feel that this market has a large untapped potential that could foster great change in how we monitor various natural things. If we are able to change regulations, CubeSats could unlock a lot more innovation and allow fresh perspectives into the space sector. I hope that we will be able to fix the few problems that come with the satellites and allow a multitude of opportunities to be opened up.