National Defence committee  With Russia and China, we would engage through the multilateral fora. In those cases, Canada lines up with its key allies so that we coordinate. As the generals were explaining previously, we coordinate our engagements in those committees. I guess I would say that you want to be engaged.

National Defence committee  Within the civil space program, the Canadian Space Agency has a number of active bilateral agreements with nations with which we work closely. NASA, obviously, would be one of our largest partners, and we have an agreement with them. We've also had a long-standing co-operation agreement with the European Space Agency, since 1979.

National Defence committee  Commercialization of investments in space is actually one of the Canadian Space Agency's responsibilities under our mandate and the act. We don't object to the commercialization of these investments. I'll give you some good examples. Through advancement in our robotic capabilities, we've advanced certain technologies that are used on earth.

National Defence committee  The Artemis accords are a set of high-level principles established originally by NASA, as you pointed out, with the support of a handful of agencies. Currently the numbers are growing. We are hitting 38 and 39, so they're definitely growing. The objective is to ensure sustainable operations in the lunar environment.

National Defence committee  It's going to be critical if many nations—not a select few, as was the case with the international space station—are to work and live together on a planetary body.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, that speaks to the question of inspiration, knowledge and understanding of our universe, and really through that an understanding of who we are and where we come from. The moon is the closest to us at the moment. It's not the only destination. It's one step towards the next stage of human exploration, which is Mars.

National Defence committee  I would not be able to offer any details on that topic.

National Defence committee  It is a a growing space sector domain. For Canada to have domestic capabilities to launch would complete the spectrum of capabilities that we have in Canada. The Canadian Space Agency usually collaborates with international partners on our missions. That includes the launch of our assets into space.

National Defence committee  Maybe I can take that one. Currently, as I mentioned, we have active collaboration on the international space station that involves Russia. To this day, the main objective of all the partners who are involved in the program is to focus on maintaining the safety of the program, the safety of the station and the safety of the crew.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, this question falls within the responsibility of Global Affairs Canada. The Canadian Space Agency is engaged in multilateral fora. We do participate in the work of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. However, on the issue of disarmament, our support is for our Global Affairs Canada and DND colleagues who lead that engagement.

National Defence committee  The Canadian Space Agency contributed instruments towards that mission. The technical aspect of it is also outside of my domain, so I wouldn't be able to speak to exactly what the instruments do. One of them helps with fine guiding and navigation, and the other one has a scientific purpose.

National Defence committee  That's an excellent question. Canadian industry and industry associations have been asking for better federal coordination on space issues. Just in the last budget, the government announced the creation of the Canadian version of a National Space Council. It will be a whole-of-government coordination mechanism that will ensure coordination on issues crosscutting civil, commercial and defence space domains.

National Defence committee  It's a little bit of a technical question when it comes to unpacking the mission. Artemis II mission preparations are currently ongoing. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen is scheduled to fly on that mission. He will be the first non-American astronaut to fly around the moon, so it will be a big accomplishment for Canada.

National Defence committee  That will be the first crewed flight of the Artemis rocket. The first one tested the technical aspects of flying around the moon. This one will have humans in the rocket and will test the procedures that go with the flight. I would probably not be lying if I said they will fly for about 10 or 11 days around the moon.

National Defence committee  The Canadian Space Agency currently participates in the James Webb telescope with international partners, and we maintain expert capacity in the agency, such as staff who work on astronomy and planetary science missions. We participate in a number of ongoing missions, but going forward we're exploring potential partnerships with other nations, including on some of the ideas that come currently from the Canadian astronomy community.