Summary
The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's (ISED) Innovative Solutions Canada program, are soliciting proposals for the design, development, and demonstration of a transportable Optical Ground Station (OGS) capable of establishing secure, resilient optical communication links with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The system must be modular (transportable in ISO containers), able to operate on unprepared Arctic terrain under extreme temperatures (-40°C to 40°C), and must achieve a minimum data rate of 1 Gbps. This is a contract-based (non-grant) procurement structured in two phases — Phase 1 (Proof of Feasibility, TRL 1-4) and Phase 2 (prototype development) — with proposals due 2:00 p.m. Eastern on July 17, 2026; the official tender notice (cb-303-55060965) is administered by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) on CanadaBuys.