Canada is set to get its first and only commercial spaceport, set to be built in Nova Scotia.
Last week, the Canadian government announced the Technology Safeguard Agreement with the US, which paves the way for US space object launches in Canada from the NS launchpad and permits the sharing of necessary American technology and data pending final review and approval from both countries. The company behind the project, Maritime Launch, already has approval from the provincial government to build the launch pad.
Maritime Launch says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spurred its US-Canada launchpad plan after its initial plan relied upon Ukraine-made Cyclone 4M rockets. As CBC reports, the current plan is to lease the pad for launches, including to American clients.
The spaceport is a giant leap for the Canadian space industry, which is small but growing. Latest figures peg the sector’s contribution at CA$2.8 billion to GDP and roughly 24,190 full-time equivalent jobs.
As AI creates new opportunities, the people who understand a community best play an important role in determining how those opportunities take shape. Across the US, Microsoft is supporting AI literacy classes as part of a new program developed in collaboration with the Public Library Association, working through trusted local institutions to help people build practical AI skills. By pairing new technology with local knowledge, the initiative is helping communities explore how AI can support their needs and open new possibilities, while putting local leaders and organizations at the center of that work. Read the full story here.
Russia is testing NATO’s red lines with escalating drone attacks and airspace violations. Can Europe defend Ukraine and itself without help from the US? Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Who among us has not gotten stiffed by a superpower. #PUPPETREGIME
Is Putin's war machine starting to crack? Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski discusses Ukraine's battlefield gains and mounting economic pressure on Russia.