Developing leading edge technology helps grow the economy, creates jobs and advances sectors such as aerospace and defence. To this end, C-CORE’s advancements in satellite technology will provide innovative environmental monitoring solutions to benefit researchers, industry and government.
C-CORE is building capacity to collect data from small satellites (smallsats) that orbit the earth for observation purposes such as environmental monitoring. Using comparably small-scale ground stations, C-CORE is extracting large amounts of data from the orbiting smallsats. It then analyzes and interprets the data to more effectively monitor and measure environmental indicators, such as greenhouse and air quality gas emissions, for clients in various sectors, including resource development, transportation, and safety and security.
C-CORE is developing innovative ground station technology in St. John’s with initial deployments in the Arctic (Inuvik, Northwest Territories) and in Atlantic Canada (Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador).
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation is contributing $500,000 in funding towards this project, and the Government of Canada is providing a non-repayable contribution of nearly $2.7 million.
The Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, along with Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, made the announcement today.
The Government of Canada is making smart investments that will create good, middle-class jobs in our country. It is helping Atlantic Canadians develop and bring to market new products and services that help grow strategic sectors and create research and commercialization partnerships. Support for this project is one way the Government of Canada is working to achieve its Atlantic Growth Strategy outcome of long-term economic prosperity in the region.
Support for innovation and technology delivers on commitments in The Way Forward’s Business Innovation Agenda to strengthen the province’s economic foundation. The Way Forward outlines all actions the Provincial Government is taking to achieve a strong, diversified economy and can be viewed at thewayforward.gov.nl.ca.
Quotes
“C-CORE’s ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in our government’s heightened importance on innovation. Their cutting edge technology to effectively monitor and measure environmental indicators through data collection will help address challenges faced by those working in our resource development, transportation, safety and security sectors. We are proud to invest in innovation, to develop highly skilled jobs, to sustain local market growth and to further develop the economy.”
Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
“For over 40 years, C-CORE has been a world leader in ice-sensing, geotechnical engineering and remote sensing, employing scientists and engineers who study harsh environments right here at Memorial University’s St. John’s campus. This investment by the Government of Canada in C-CORE’s latest work in satellite technology will harness their niche expertise to create leading-edge employment opportunities for the people of our province.”
Nick Whalen
Member of Parliament for St. John’s East
“The Government of Canada is pleased to support collaborative efforts that generate more research, innovation and growth in key sectors such as aerospace and defense. In particular, it is great to see the successful partnership between C-CORE and College of the North Atlantic to establish a new ground station in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which will result in more innovation in our province.”
Yvonne Jones
Member of Parliament for Labrador
“As demand grows for information to support priorities such as business intelligence and environmental stewardship, a new generation of small satellites is meeting this need. C-CORE’s new ground stations provide a matching solution – smaller, cheaper and more easily deployable. With help from ACOA and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, we’re innovating to keep our province and country at the leading edge of space technology that has the ability to turn information into insights.”
Paul Griffin
President and CEO of C-CORE
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Media contacts
Eric Humber
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
709-729-4819, 725-9655
erichumber@gov.nl.ca
Paul McGrath
ACOA NL
709-772-2984
Paul.McGrath@canada.ca
Deirdre Greene Lono
C-CORE
709-864-3083
deirdre.greene-lono@c-core.ca