Canada and the European Union have been collaborating in the space sector since the early 1970s. Formal cooperation began in 1979 with the signing of the first Cooperation Agreement between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency, renewed five times since then (1984, 1989, 2000, 2012 and 2019). Decades of political and industrial cooperation around space projects such as Copernicus (Europe’s Earth observation system), Galileo (satellite navigation and geopositioning
system) or Telesat’s lightspeed satellite constellation, have led to the development of a strong space sector on both sides of the
Atlantic.
Still the potential to deepen this political and industrial cooperation is huge. The use of space systems and technologies is increasingly important to address some of the defining issues of our time – from ensuring a sustainable use of natural resources, to protecting the environment, providing safety, security and a high quality of life, responding to disasters and crises, or understanding and combating climate change.
Download the Report – Space Collaboration between EU and Canada