Canada and Spain Agree to Enhance Space Collaboration

Valencia, Spain, October 2, 2006 - The Canadian Space Agency and Spain's Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI) signed a Space Agreement today to promote collaboration in several areas of mutual interest. These include advanced spacecraft and payload research and development.

CDTI Director General Maurici Lucena and CSA Vice-President Virendra Jha signed the agreement during a ceremony at the International Astronautical Conference in Valencia, Spain, hosted by Canada's Ambassador to Spain, Marc Lortie. "This agreement is a framework for partnerships among our respective companies, universities and governments. It is founded on the recognition, by spacefaring nations like Canada and Spain, that common goals can be achieved by combining our expertise," Lortie noted.

Left to right: Maurici Lucena, CDTI Director General Marc Lortie, Canadian Ambassador to Spain Virendra Jha, CSA Vice-President (Photo: Canadian Space Agency)

Carole Lacombe, Acting President of the CSA, cited the recent completion of the European Space Agency's Deep Space Antenna in Cebreros, Spain, as an example of the effectiveness of Spanish-Canadian collaboration. "On that project, SED Systems of Saskatchewan worked closely with Spanish industry to meet the mission time line," Lacombe said. "It an excellent success story! We anticipate this new agreement will facilitate more mutually beneficial projects and results in the coming years."

The Space Cooperation Agreement between the CSA and CDTI is in effect for the next five years. Support for collaborative ventures within both organizations could take a variety of forms, including in-kind research support and technology contributions. They could also benefit from an agreement CDTI signed with Canada's National Research Council in October 2005 to encourage technology transfer among small- and medium-sized companies in both countries for research, technology development, and innovation.

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For further information:

Carole Duval
Communications Advisor
Media Relations and Information Services
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-4370
Web site: www.space.gc.ca

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