Canadian Military Looks to Build Arctic Satellite Comms System

The Canadian military plans to solicit ideas from industry on a satellite communications infrastructure dedicated to the Arctic region, Space News reported Thursday.

Mike Gruss reports Col. Jeff Dooling, director of space requirements for the Canadian Department for National Defense, told the MilSatCom conference in Virginia that the Enhanced Satcom project is estimated to cost $1.8 billion and will comprise at least two satellites in an elliptical orbit.

The Canadian armed forces could issue a draft solicitation for the program this fall in an effort to help address satellite coverage in the Arctic region with the use of X-band, Ka-band and ultra-high frequency narrowband communications, according to the report.

Gains from a constellation study conducted by the Canadian Space Agency under the 2010 Polar and Communications Weather mission serve as the pillar for the Enhanced Satcom Project, the report says.

Gruss writes the Canadian military aims to operate the constellation as early as 2023 in partnership with its foreign allies such as the U.S., Denmark, Norway and the U.K.