Canada has formalised its involvement in the Lunar Gateway programme by committing to build the space robotics system that is dubbed Canadarm3.

Navdeep Bains – Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry – announced Canada intends to enter into a contract with Brampton-based company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) to build the system.

It will comprise a smart robotic arm, a small dexterous arm and a set of specialised tools. It is planned to use machine vision and AI. The goal is for a “highly autonomous system [that] will be able to perform tasks without human intervention.”

Nasa’s Lunar Gateway – which will be a small spaceship in orbit around the Moon – is planned as the successor to the ISS. It is described as an international collaboration to support further human space exploration, first to the Moon but later to Mars.

Canadarm3

The announcement states:

“With four decades of expertise gained from flagship space robotics programs like the original Canadarm, Canadarm2 and Dextre, MDA is at the centre of a dynamic ecosystem of innovative small and medium-sized businesses and research organisations from across the country. Hundreds of Canadian companies are expected to be involved in the development of Canadarm3, working with MDA and research organisations to drive innovation and Canadian excellence in emerging technologies. The development of Canadarm3 will involve the application of the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy, which will ensure the participation of the broader Canadian supply chain and help motivate investments in key industrial capabilities within Canada’s space sector.”

Canadarm2

The orignal Canadarm was on the Space Shuttle and Canadarm2 is currently on the International Space Station (ISS), where it helps with external repairs and aiding the docking of visiting craft.

The Ontario-based MDA built these previous iterations of Canadarm and has recently returned to private Canadian ownership.

In 2019, Canada became the first nation to join the United States-led Lunar Gateway.

Image: NASA – The Canadarm2 robotic arm, from the Canadian Space Agency, is poised to capture the Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman with NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan at the robotics controls in the cupola on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020.