The Radarsat constellation replaces Radarsat-2, which has been in orbit since 2007. The satellites will orbit Earth every 96 minutes. While predecessor Radarsat-2 was owned by MDA—which builds satellites, space robotics and defence solutions—this constellation is owned by the federal government. It will feed surveillance data to the Canadian Armed Forces and help with emergency planning for natural disasters. (CBC)

Talking point: The satellites are a big improvement from early iterations of Radarsat; the constellation is expected to generate 250,000 images per year, 50 times more than the first generation. A key purpose of the constellation is to monitor the Arctic. The government said that land security in the region will be significantly increased with the constellation. It’s a region that’s been a source of tension between Russia, China and the U.S. and, in May 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Canada’s claim to the Northwest Passage—an area above Canada that is increasingly becoming a possible shipping route due to melting sea ice—“illegitimate.”