Alouette 1 Satellite Programme National Historic Event
Ottawa, Ontario
Drs. Nelms & Chapman toasting Alouette 1
(© Ted Grant / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / e010689790)
Address :
3701 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2007-06-08
Other Name(s):
-
Alouette 1 Satellite Programme
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2006-024, 2008-SCD/CED-020, 2008-043
Importance:
Enabled Canada to be the third country in the world to design and build a successful satellite
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 3701 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario
Alouette 1 was launched on September 29, 1962, making Canada the third country in the world to design and build a satellite. The data gathered during its ten-year lifespan greatly extended our knowledge of the ionosphere and the Earth's upper atmosphere, and validated the innovative design and stringent testing used in its development. Conceived by a team of engineers and scientists at the Defence Research Telecommunications Establishment, Alouette 1 was a scientific success and an engineering feat that enabled the space programme to prosper and contributed to the emergence of a Canadian space industry.