Canadian Arctic Situational Awareness Monitoring Microsatellites Launched
Gray Jay Arctic Surveillance Technology Demonstration Mission Underway
Canada’s Gray Jay Arctic surveillance technology demonstration mission was launched by Space Flight Laboratory. Developed by SFL for Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC), the three 30-kg (66 pound) formation-flying microsatellites launched aboard the SpaceX Transporter-12 mission.
“Monitoring activities in the harsh high-latitude environment of the Arctic with space-borne assets is crucial to safeguarding national resources and interests.”
Dr. Robert E. Zee, SFL
The Gray Jay spacecraft launched on the same SpaceX rideshare as the NorSat-4 maritime monitoring microsatellite built by SFL for the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA). The launch brings the number of operationally successful microspace satellites developed by SFL to 86.
DRDC funded the Gray Jay demonstration mission to support Canada’s ability to exercise sovereignty in the Arctic and provide enhanced situational awareness for safety and security applications. As a research and development mission, the microsatellite cluster flies in close formation and carries multiple sensors to enable independent methods of detecting surface and airborne objects, including radio frequency (RF) geolocation.
“Monitoring activities in the harsh high-latitude environment of the Arctic with space-borne assets is crucial to safeguarding national resources and interests,” said SFL Director Dr. Robert E. Zee. “SFL is proud that our affordable microspace technology has made this ambitious demonstration mission a reality on a small budget.”
Following a competitive process, DRDC selected SFL for the Gray Jay mission due to SFL’s highly successful track record in precise attitude control and formation flying – capabilities that are challenging to achieve reliably and consistently with low-mass smaller spacecraft. SFL was among the first microspace developers to affordably accomplish this feat. For Gray Jay, precise spacecraft attitude is critical for operation of the imaging payload, while accurate orbit determination and formation flying are important for RF geolocation sensors.
Over the past 26 years, several organizations have relied on SFL’s attitude control and formation flying expertise to accomplish operational mission goals that would be financially impractical with traditional-sized satellites. These technologies have made a variety of Earth observation, communications, environmental monitoring, and RF signal mapping applications commercially successful.