REGINA, Sask. — Canadian companies developing the next generation of space and defence technology could soon have a new place to test their innovations closer to home, with a proposed suborbital testing platform taking shape on the Prairies.
Calian Group Ltd. and Regina-based Space Innovation Canada announced a strategic partnership in October to develop a shared testing platform that would use high-altitude balloons, sounding rockets and other flight systems to put emerging technologies through real-world conditions.
The initiative is intended to address a gap in Canada's aerospace industry, where companies and researchers can face challenges finding affordable, repeatable opportunities to test their work outside a laboratory.
“Space Innovation Canada, or SIC, is a Canadian nonprofit developing a shared suborbital testing platform in the Prairies for teams across Canada,” said Regan Hinchcliffe, the organization's president and managing director.
“Suborbital missions can reach altitude or space, then return to Earth without entering orbit.”
Depending on the mission, the flights could expose equipment to high altitude, high velocity or brief periods of microgravity, allowing developers to collect evidence about how their technologies perform.
Hinchcliffe said the platform could support testing in areas such as sensing, communications, positioning and navigation. One example would be a quantum sensor designed to help vehicles navigate when GPS signals are disrupted. Another could involve artificial intelligence-powered cameras designed to detect wildfires from high altitude.
The flights could also create opportunities for scientific research, including experiments involving living cells, materials and fluids in near-weightless conditions.
“Just imagine a laboratory recording how living cells respond to brief weightlessness,” Hinchcliffe said.
He said those experiments could help researchers explore applications in areas such as drug development, cancer research and advanced manufacturing, with short suborbital flights potentially helping validate experiments before longer studies in orbit.
The proposed platform would bring multiple teams and technologies together on shared missions, potentially making testing more affordable and accessible for smaller companies, researchers and students.
“Today, teams often have to arrange those pieces separately,” Hinchcliffe said. “Shared campaigns can make testing more affordable and easier to repeat.”
Calian is serving as the industry lead, bringing technical, strategic and commercial expertise to the project. The company has more than 40 years of experience in the space sector, including satellite communications and ground systems. Space Innovation Canada will lead the initiative's governance and bring together potential users, researchers and delivery partners.
The proposed platform is Prairie-based, with initial site planning focused on Alberta. Hinchcliffe said a final site has not been determined.
“We have no Regina facility or operating role to announce at this stage,” he said.
However, he sees opportunities for Saskatchewan companies and institutions to contribute through engineering, manufacturing, electronics, software and research. The partnership is also exploring potential governance, business, workforce and training opportunities with a prospective First Nation partner.
The first flight has not been scheduled. Before a mission can proceed, the organizations must secure funding, identify a suitable site, establish partnerships and complete safety, recovery and regulatory planning.
Hinchcliffe said the organizations are working with balloon operators and rocket developers to explore early demonstrations. They are also considering opportunities for student rocketry teams to test their vehicles and carry experiments for researchers or businesses.
The project has attracted significant interest since its public announcement, but no finalized list of participating companies or research teams has been released.
Hinchcliffe said the economic opportunities for Saskatchewan will depend on how the platform develops, including how often missions take place and how much work local organizations contribute. He said it is too early to estimate job numbers or investment.
The longer-term goal is to create a domestic testing option that reduces the need for Canadian innovators to rely on foreign facilities for suitable suborbital missions, while potentially attracting research and testing from international partners.
“The biggest challenge is aligning priorities, incentives and responsibilities across government, First Nations, academia and industry,” Hinchcliffe said.
He said the work ahead includes building partnerships, securing land access, establishing infrastructure and developing a sustainable funding and operating model.
“We are committed to building a sovereign suborbital capability that strengthens Canada, creates opportunities, and gives all Canadians something to be really, really proud of,” Hinchcliffe said.
Space Innovation Canada is inviting Canadian businesses, researchers, students and potential partners to help shape the first campaign by identifying what they need to test and what capabilities they could contribute.
