1. Benefits and Challenges of International Collaboration
NAS Space Science Week
Erick Dupuis
The little guy’s perspective
Canada plays with the big players but our means are much more modest. Collaboration is absolutely required!

2. The Mathematical Argument
MSL
x10
JWST
ISS
Overall
1’s B$
10’s B$
100’s B$
Canada
10’s M$
100’s M$
Case is very easy to make. For Canada, international collaboration enables participation in missions that we could not afford otherwise

3. Benefits (Must be Win-Win)
Financial
Leverage for Partner
Cost Offset for Mission Prime
Access to/Contribution of Niche Expertise
Partnerships solidify missions in face of political changes
Win=win situation. There must be benefits both ways.
The rest is self-explanatory
But if it were simple, we would not be here during a panel discussion today.

4. Challenges Dependency on Partners Cancelations/Non-Confirmations
MATMOS on ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter
Synthetic Aperture Radar on NASA’s NeMO
Missed Opportunity: WFIRST
Missed Opportunity: Euclid
Image Credit ESA
Let’s hear the sad stories. We’ll start with the sadest ones and end with the softer stories.
Story of MATMOS on TGO. Caught between a rock and a hard place.
NASA, ESA and CSA were partners. CSA and JPL partnering on MATMOS instrument. NASA pulled out from program. ESA had to find new launch parnters (Russia), which required accommodation for science instruments on the platform. This eventually led to MATMOS being descoped.
NeMO: stillborn infant
Mission confirmation dates in Canada require firm commitment at start of Phase A (Treasury Board rules for all government projects). Funds must be secured at start of Phase A. NASA has Key Decision Points along process with mission firmer commitments at start of Phase B. For NeMO, Canada secured additional funds from govt for SAR instruments through budget cycle. NASA then changed plans for MSR and did not confirm NeMO. CSA now looking for flight opportunity for SAR with NASA.
Non-confirmations happen both ways: Canada was unable to commit to WFIRST and Euclid in a timely manner.
Image Credit ESA
Image Credit NASA

5. Challenges Schedule Issues Synchronisation of Authorities Delays
SAR instrument on NeMO (Mismatch between confirmation points)
Laser Altimeter on OSIRIS-Rex (delays between phases)
Delays
JWST: Impact on Future Missions
ASTROSAT: Components exceeded shelf life
Image Credit NASA
Mismatch in synchronisation has resulted in CSA having to find new flight opportunity for Mars SAR urgently or forfeit the funds. Impact on credibility with department of finances and central agencies.
Mismatch in governance and approval cycles also resulted in significant delays between project phases for the laser altimeter on OSIRIS-Rex. OLA was almost downscoped several times and CSA was able to pull just in time approvals to remain on the mission. This is a good thing because OLA is turning out to provide extremely interesting data and is being used mode than was originally planned.
Other schedule impact is delays. As partners, we are tied at the hip. Any delay in the mission affects all partners.
For JWST, an impact of the launch delays on the Canadian side is that all future space astronomy missions are handicapped until the JWST situation is resolved.
Similarly launch delays on ASTROSAT, a collaboration with ISRO, resulted in the Canadian instrument waiting 5 years after delivery for launch. Some components exceeded their shelf life as a result and this induced significant risks on the instrument since the components were not passing vibrations tests anymore at launch time.
Image Credit ISRO

6. Challenges Cost Risks Impact of Delays
JWST: Cost increase due to delays (and vice-versa)
Moral Obligation to follow-through on extensions
International Space Station
Mars Science Laboratory
Risk associated with not Being Selected during Competitive Process
Discovery, New Frontiers, Explorers, Cosmic Vision

7. Challenges Information Sharing ITAR Language Barrier
MET within 48 hours of being descoped on Phoenix because contractor afraid to share test result glitch info
Language Barrier
Documents in Japanese on Hitomi and misunderstanding on interpretation of requirements.
Image Credit JAXA

8. New Factors Commercial Services for Launch and Delivery to the Moon
Impact on international collaboration: unknown
Micro/Nanomission Opportunities
Impact on International Collaboration: unknow
(+) More opportunities for piggy-back
(-) Cost reduction reduces imperatives for collaboration
(-) Smaller size reduces payload accommodation
Launch Cost reduction

9. The Road Ahead for Canada
1.9B$ for Gateway
$150M/5yrs Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program
Continuation of On-going Missions

10. Conclusion Benefits far outweigh difficulties
What we need for Success:
Predictability
Stability of Decisions
Yet Flexibility to Accommodate Each Other’s Challenges
Feels like sharing a bed with an elephant (or two)