“If you ask the satellite to take a picture
of Montreal, then it knows the geographic
coordinates, it knows when it will be flying
over Montreal and in what direction with
respect to the sun and with respect to the
satellite. It takes the picture autonomously
and then sends it to the ground operator,”
Dr. de Lafontaine said.
The ground operator now has very little to
do. In fact, even when anomalies occur,
the satellite will try to repair itself. This in-
creases the efficiency of the mission and
reduces the number of people required to
operate the satellite on ground. As a re-
sult, the ACNS has reduced the cost of op-
erating a satellite.
The use of this technology has been ex-
tended to planetary exploration as well
and plays an essential role in NGC mis-
sions involving Mars exploration and moon
landings for the Canadian and European
space agencies. For instance, navigation
“If youask the satellite to take apicture of Montreal, then it knows the geographic
coordinates, it knows when it will be flying over Montreal…”
Dr. Jean de Lafontaine, president
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business elite canada
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SEPTEMBER 2016
