Building a Canadian validation pathway

Canada's proving ground for technologies that cannot fail.

Space Innovation Canada is building a national pathway for repeatable suborbital, high-altitude, high-velocity and microgravity validation. The initiative is currently advancing its mission architecture, partnerships, site pathway and operating model.

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Mission profile

ENVSUBORBITAL

STATUSPROPOSED

DATACANADIAN

MODEREPEATABLE

Governed accessClear pathways into real-world validation

Canadian-controlled dataMission evidence retained as national value

Industry-led executionDelivered by qualified operators and specialists

The national gap

The gap is not innovation. It is execution.

Canada produces world-class research and technology. The harder step is proving performance in operationally relevant environments, repeatedly and on Canadian soil.

When late-stage validation happens elsewhere, mission data, operational learning, supply-chain opportunity and downstream value can leave with it.

Sovereign capability

Trusted domestic pathways for technologies tied to defence, security, space and critical infrastructure.

Operational evidence

Mission data and test evidence that support qualification, procurement, commercialization and investment.

Compounding value

Experienced people, validated suppliers and institutional learning that strengthen with every campaign.

Our mission

To enable SMEs and applied researchers to validate and scale critical technologies from Canadian soil.

Current development status

Building the national pathway.

Space Innovation Canada is leading a structured development process to align industry, government, Indigenous, research and technical partners around a shared national validation capability. The initiative is in active development and is not yet operational.

Strategic scoping underway
Partner roles and governance being structured
Mission requirements being defined
Implementation pathway being developed

The SIC platform

A governed execution layer for real-world validation.

SIC is building a neutral, mission-led coordination layer that connects Canadian technology companies and other industry, research and government partners with shared mission environments and evidence pathways for credible flight and field validation.

A01

Access

Governed pathways that define who can test, when they can test, and the readiness required to enter a campaign.

C02

Capability

Coordinated vehicles, mission operations, safety systems, telemetry, recovery and range services.

D03

Data

Canadian-controlled mission evidence and operational learning that can compound across programs.

C04

Capital

Aligned industry, public, ITB, sponsor and research funding that supports execution, not only design.

Mission environments

SuborbitalHigh altitudeHigh velocityMicrogravity

The proposed operating model

Governed by SIC. Delivered with industry.

Public-benefit stewardship and commercial execution are being designed to reinforce each other. SIC will hold the mission architecture together while qualified partners deliver the technical work.

SIC will coordinate

The programmatic layer

Reference mission and campaign architecture
Governed access and readiness pathways
Partner, site and capital coordination
Data continuity and public-benefit safeguards

Qualified partners will deliver

The mission capability

Vehicles, payload integration and mission operations
Safety, regulatory and range services
Telemetry, data capture and recovery
Technical, research and commercialization support

From mission to evidence

Each mission strengthens the next.

The proposed campaign model is stage-gated to answer a defined question, reduce risk and strengthen the next decision.

01
Define the reference mission
Start with the technology, decision and evidence requirement, then select the right test envelope.
02
Assemble the delivery network
Align operators, researchers, regulators, communities, infrastructure and capital around one executable campaign.
03
Execute and capture
Run the mission with disciplined operations, integrated data capture and clear accountability.
04
Learn, qualify and repeat
Convert results into trusted evidence, next-stage readiness and learning that carries forward.

The Prairie opportunity

The Prairie-Based Suborbital Validation Platform.

SIC is advancing a Prairie-based platform for repeatable testing and validation of space, defence and dual-use technologies. It would connect mission partners with high-altitude balloons, sounding rockets and related test environments, producing trusted, Canadian-controlled evidence in operationally relevant conditions.

Repeatable high-altitude, high-velocity and optional microgravity campaigns
Mission-appropriate corridors, telemetry, data capture and recovery
Meaningful Indigenous participation, governance and long-term benefit
National access for Canadian SMEs, researchers, defence and industry partners

Leadership

National leadership for a mission that crosses sectors.

SIC brings together governance and specialist guidance spanning defence, space operations, commercialization, Indigenous engagement, finance, policy and law.

Board of Directors

Responsible for SIC's governance, strategic direction and public-benefit mandate.

Commercialization & Allied Policy

Kim Van Vliet

Founder of ConvergX® and ConvergX® Xpand™ and Deputy Chair of NATO's Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG-ACT). Recognized among Canada's Top 20 Women in Defence, she brings global commercialization, allied policy and cross-sector partnership leadership.

Defence, Industrial Benefits & Systems

Jeffery Smith

Senior leader at Kongsberg Maritime with more than 25 years in defence, naval systems and autonomous technologies. He brings expertise in Industrial and Technological Benefits frameworks, advanced systems integration and Canadian naval operations.

Allied Launch & Policy

David Beck

Former U.S. Space Force senior leader and Branch Chief for Space Access, Mobility and Supply Chain. He directed Space Standards Integration for U.S. Space Force Acquisition and shaped allied launch and industrial-base strategy.

Managing Director

Regan Hinchcliffe

Entrepreneur and Managing Director of Space Innovation Canada, where he leads the organization's strategy, partnerships and development. He previously co-founded and scaled sMedia from a startup into a multinational marketing technology company recognized among Canada's fastest-growing companies for four consecutive years.

Cyber Compliance & ITBs

Rocky Singh

President of Third Rock Consulting and an ecosystem enabler with more than 20 years embedded with aerospace & defence Primes and Tier 1s. From NATO HQ to Tokyo, he aligns ITB capital, cyber readiness and allied partnerships to turn innovation into deployable capability.

Senior Advisory Team

Cross-functional guidance across the disciplines required to move from concept to safe, credible execution.

Technical, Regulatory & Space Operations

Bryan Zetlen

Managing Partner at Sundogs Group and Senior Systems Engineer and Space Operations Manager at Virtus Solis. A former NASA, Blue Origin, Axiom, Boeing and Sea Launch leader, he brings expertise in launch operations, systems engineering, ISAM/ISRU, spaceport development and policy.

Spaceport Operations

Harvey Doane

Former COO of Maritime Launch Services, where he led operations and governance for Spaceport Nova Scotia. He brings more than 30 years of infrastructure leadership, stakeholder engagement and operational execution.

Marketing & Strategic Communications

Shauna Cotie

Founder of Ocean Girl Designs and a specialist in communications and stakeholder engagement across the ocean technology and defence sectors. She supports national industry alignment and partnership development.

Indigenous Engagement

Michael LaRocque

Project Consultant at Scout Engineering specializing in Indigenous engagement, capacity building and workforce development aligned with infrastructure initiatives.

Land Use & Corridor Planning

Peter Scholz

Principal of Cairnstone with more than 25 years in land-use and corridor planning. A former Senior Planner with the Government of Nunavut and Regional Director for Alaska to Alberta Railway, he brings Arctic infrastructure and multi-jurisdictional development expertise.

Technology Transfer & IP

Martin Ciuk

Associate Director of Technology Transfer at Innovate Calgary with more than 15 years in IP strategy, commercialization and multinational research frameworks. His expertise includes data governance, public-funding alignment and technology-transfer models.

Finance & Governance

Scott Bauman

Finance and governance leader with experience across energy, infrastructure and emerging technologies. His expertise spans capital strategy, financial controls, sustainability and long-term institutional governance.

Space Law & Governance

François Paul Lambart

Space lawyer and executive, Principal at Orbital Reach™ and Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ASCEND™. His experience includes Amazon Project Kuiper and the EU flagship programs Galileo and Copernicus, with expertise in market access, licensing and space governance.

Build the proving ground

Bring the mission. Build the pathway with us.

SIC is engaging industry, government, Indigenous communities, researchers, infrastructure operators and capital partners who want Canadian innovation to become deployable Canadian capability.

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