Major Milestone Achieved: Polar Epsilon 2 reaches Full Operational Capability

August 24, 2022 - Defence Stories

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The Polar Epsilon 2 logo

The Polar Epsilon 2 (PE2) project team led by the Assistant Deputy Minister (Information Management) have much to celebrate! After hard work, determination, and creativity, the PE2 project reached its final milestone of Full Operational Capability (FOC) in June 2022. PE2 reaching FOC means that the project has successfully delivered on a multi-year, multi-departmental, whole-of-government project. 

The Canadian Armed Forces rely on many systems to provide surveillance of Canada’s maritime approaches. PE2 is the follow-up to the Polar Epsilon Project, and is a Department of National Defence project that delivers space-based wide area surveillance capabilities, especially for maritime domain awareness, by tasking and receiving meaningful data from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) RADARSAT Constellation Mission Satellites. It provides mission continuity, and delivers advanced capabilities beyond those delivered by the previous project.

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The Aldergrove antenna with the Government of Canada logo.

The project combines the wide-area surveillance and support capabilities, with the Automatic Identification System data from equipment used on ships. PE2 confirms and validates ship identification data and radar-detected positions, providing a near-real-time maritime situational awareness capability. The capability is an all-weather, day-and-night space-based system that enables the Canadian Armed Forces to identify and track vessels in Canada’s maritime and Arctic regions, supporting both national and international expeditionary operations.

Bravo Zulu to all involved in PE2 reaching FOC! Your work has contributed to a Strong, Secure and Engaged Canada.