Communications satellites for North?

Looks like a good idea--now if we can get RADARSAT 2 up for imagery (it's a bit behind schedule):

The Canadian Space Agency wants to spend hundreds of millions of dollars launching communications satellites to help guard our stake in the Arctic.

Officials hope to launch at least two satellites that would offer the military robust voice communication and high-speed data transmission in the high north, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"We are collaborating together to define the needs of the Department of National Defence in the North and how that constellation can serve those needs to ensure Canadian sovereignty," said Guennadi Kroupnik, the agency’s manager of Earth observation technologies.

Canada will likely tap one of its principal Arctic rivals for help putting the 1,200-kilogram satellites into space.

"Most probably we would look for an American or a Russian launch opportunity," said Mr. Kroupnik, an aerospace engineer who worked in the Russian space program for over a decade before moving to Canada.

Canucks have been canvassing the international community for assistance in getting the $350-million project off the ground.

"We received very strong signs of a desire to collaborate from the Finns, from Norway and from the Russians," Mr. Kroupnik said.

Co-operating on the satellites doesn’t mean Canada would show its entire hand in the race to claim energy-rich Arctic waters.

"When it comes to questions of sovereignty and national security, of course, data of the Canadian Arctic will not be shared," Mr. Kroupnik said.

"But spare capability of the mission can be used to reduce the cost of the mission to the Canadian taxpayers by providing that data to other circumpolar countries in exchange for their contribution to that mission, which would not necessarily be a monetary contribution. For example, the Russians can provide the launch for that mission and the Finns can provide scientific instruments.

"We are not talking about cash contributions. We are talking about sharing the work, sharing the task where Canada will be the leader and others can join us."

The Canadian Space Agency is now asking industrial contractors to bid on a $500,000 feasibility study of the potential mission. That would lead to a series of steps including design, manufacturing and testing, culminating with the launch.

"If everything goes well, we are planning to launch the first satellite in 2013 and a second satellite in 2014," Mr. Kroupnik said.

The satellites would move in highly elliptical 12-hour orbits that would allow them to constantly serve the region. They would appear to almost hover for hours over northern latitudes, then move very quickly over the South Pole.

"To have the system fully operational, you need both to be up. But even with one satellite, you will have communications windows which would be less than 24 hours (coverage)."

The Canadian Forces is mounting an increasing number of missions in the Arctic every year and the Conservative government is promising to build a deepsea port and military training centre to bolster this country’s claim over the region.

Halifax-based warships and even one of the navy’s submarines have played a role in the northern exercises.

But Arctic war games have been plagued by communications blackouts that officials at the space agency believe they can prevent in the future.

"That definitely will improve," Mr. Kroupnik said...

H/t to Jack MacLeod.

Some UAVs would also be useful for the North (see comments too at link).