Dignitaries put their fingers on a model of the sub orbital space shuttle that will have some of its parts tested here in North Bay. PHOTO BY CHRIS DAWSON.
A pair of major announcements connected to the Canadore College Aviation Centre were announced on Thursday morning.
In the opening announcement, MP Jay Aspin announced a $2 million dollar investment that will allow Canadore College to create the Advanced Composites, Fabrication, Repair and Test Centre at the College’s Aviation Campus.
The other related announcement between all 3 levels of government and Swiss Space Systems will see the Canadore Aviation Centre and the North Bay airport utilized for mock-up test flights of the companies SOAR suborbital shuttle.
“In North Bay, S3 has found very strong support in order to perform this crucial step in the development phase of our reusable suborbital shuttle. These drop tests will indeed enable us to test both flight systems and aerodynamic properties, the latter also being validated during a wind tunnel test campaign in the US,” outlined Robert Feierbach, Head of S3 USA, representing S3 at the North Bay event.
“These drop tests are only the beginning of a collaboration with North Bay and Canadore College, as we wish to potentially expand our operations in the region,” added Feierbach in a release.
MPP Jay Aspin says this could create 40 jobs in the region,and maybe the start of what he calls a “paradigm shift,' in what he believes could lead to an economic boom in the region, thanks to this space age technology.
Mayor Al McDonals believes this is a huge partnership for the city, the airport and Canadore College.
"A strong partnership has been fostered over the past nine months with visits from S3 senior executives from Switzerland and the United States," said McDonald.
"We are extremely pleased to partner with S3 on this revolutionary space project that will be housed right here in North Bay. This strategic partnership will foster further development of our expertise in aerospace and position our community as a leader in this emerging growth sector. ”
View the Swiss Space Systems Video below:
