On May 12th, 2010 CRC proudly celebrated the official recognition of the launch of Alouette 1 as an event of national historic significance.

Alouette 1 – the most successful satellite of its time – was designed and built by the Defense Research Telecommunications Establishment, later to become CRC.

In a ceremony attended by the Honourable John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Helen McDonald, Assistant Deputy Minister, Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications (Industry Canada), the Alouette 1 Satellite Program was commemorated through the placement of a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque on the CRC campus.

In addition to the official ceremony, CRC hosted a day-long event with partners from the Canadian Space Agency and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. School children and invited guests were brought together with some of the original Alouette ‘pioneers’ to view an array of historical artifacts from the Alouette programme.

“Great scientific achievements like Alouette 1 begin with great researchers,” said Helen McDonald. “DRTE/ CRC had and has some of the brightest minds in the field of radiocommunications, and the Government of Canada had the foresight in the earliest days of the space age to support satellite research and radiocommunications. The result has been globally recognized innovation stemming from the CRC.”

Alouette 1 Satellite Programme

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