Disruptors

New Frontiers: How Canadian Tech is Shaking Up Space

Episode Summary

When we think of space, we think of big moments in time — like that first walk on the moon, or February’s historic landing of a robotic explorer on Mars. But space is also big business, with the new space economy — filled with big corporations, small startups and everything in between — projected to grow to a trillion dollars by 2040. In this episode of Disruptors, an RBC podcast, guest host Trinh Theresa Do speaks with two Canadian entrepreneurs making waves in space: Mike Greenley, CEO of space tech pioneer MDA (maker of the iconic Canadarm); and Dr. Sara Spangelo, the Winnipeg-born founder and CEO of Silicon Valley startup Swarm Technologies, whose tiny communication satellites promise affordable global connectivity. We also get the lay of the land — or universe — from Manon Larocque, Executive Director, Strategic Policy and Domestic Affairs, at the Canadian Space Agency. As Mike explains in the podcast, it used to cost about $18,000 a kilogram to launch something into space. Today, it’s down to $3,000 — with projections it could get as low as $500. Soon, any Canadian business with a bold idea will be able to launch into space — and open up new economic frontiers in the process.

Episode Notes

To learn about NASA’s Lunar Gateway project — an outpost that supports a return to the lunar surface as well as deep-space exploration — click here. To see how MDA’s AI-powered Canadarm3 will work on the lunar outpost, watch this video

Curious about what satellites the size of a grilled cheese sandwich can actually do? Follow this link to learn more about Swarm’s tiny two-way communications technology. Sara also mentioned NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative — which provides access to space for small satellites to conduct research. Find out more here

In this podcast, Theresa also mentioned new research from the RBC Economics and Thought Leadership team on creativity and its role as an emerging power skill. If you’d like to learn more, please click here.