The project, dubbed the Radarsat Constellation Mission, or RCM, is seen as key to the Conservative government’s plans to expand Canada’s presence in the Arctic. The first satellite in the system is scheduled to be launched in 2014 and once the full system is operating, the constellation would be capable of providing extensive surveillance of the North as well as of Canada’s coasts.
But a newly released Defence Department document shows the price tag for the satellites has now jumped from $600 million to $1 billion.
“The RCM project was originally estimated at $600M, and has been authorized $200M in expenditure through Preliminary Design Review,” points out a 2010 briefing note for DND’s deputy minister Robert Fonberg. “While revised cost estimates for RCM vary, on average they reflect a project cost of over $1B(illion).”
The document was obtained by the Citizen under the Access to Information law.
Some in Canada’s space industry have questioned whether RCM will proceed but the government has countered that it is committed to the Radarsat technology.
RCM’s contractor MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates of British Columbia took the unusual step of going public in late March with its concerns that government cuts to the Canadian Space Agency’s budget have put the satellite system in jeopardy.
MDA “has concluded that the budget does not include the funds required to continue the Radarsat Constellation Mission as currently envisioned,” the firm noted in a statement. MDA added that it would begin to restructure its workforce and look at layoffs.
MDA’s contract to oversee the design of the satellite runs until the summer. The next step was to have been the construction of the first spacecraft.
Industry analysts have noted the Conservatives reduced the CSA’s budget from $424 million to $363 million. It is expected to further drop to $300 million in the future, which analysts consider a base level for the agency.
The Radarsat Constellation is the follow-on project to Canada’s highly successful Radarsat satellites. RCM would see three satellites in orbit but the project is designed to have that number increased to six if needed.
According to the space agency, the RCM would significantly enhance maritime and land security, particularly in the Arctic. The satellites would make up to four passes per day over the north. They would be able to conduct surveillance night or day and through cloud cover.
The Canadian Space Agency would not comment, instead referring questions on RCM to Industry Canada.
In an email, Industry Canada stated that the government remains committed to Radarsat. “We received a strong mandate to manage the economy and we’re working to deliver effective space programs in a cost effective way,” stated the department email.
“It would be inappropriate for the government to speak on behalf of MDA in terms of its future business plans but contractors are continuing work on the design phase of the Radarsat Constellation Mission, which is scheduled to be completed by August 2012,” the email added. “Industry Canada and the CSA will continue to work with the space industry on key issues and impacts for economic competitiveness and growth.”
Kevin Shortt, president of the Canadian Space Society, said there has been no indication whether the government will continue funding RCM beyond August. “Definitely MDA is worried and they’re preparing for the worst,” said Shortt. “The government doesn’t have a long-term space plan and without that industry doesn’t have an idea where the government wants to go in the future.”
Shortt pointed out that Radarsat is critical to Canada, providing not only surveillance data to the Canadian military but also agricultural, environmental and other information to various federal departments.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made the Arctic a priority for his government. He has announced a number of high profile projects, including building new vessels for Arctic patrols and the expansion of the military’s presence in the north.
But a U.S. diplomatic cable released last year by WikiLeaks suggested that Harper’s strategy was little more than political rhetoric.
The 2010 diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa noted the Conservative government had done little besides making political announcements about the Arctic.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: DAVID PUGLIESE
No comments:
Post a Comment