Canada in Space: A Timeline
1839 Sir Edward Sabine sets up the first magnetic laboratory at the University of Toronto to study the Northern Lights.
1959 Launch of the Black Brant, Canada's first sounding rocket to probe Earth's atmosphere.
1962 Canada becomes the third country in space with the launch of the Alouette satellite. Alouette 1 would study the ionosphere.
1969 Apollo 11 lands on the moon. A Canadian company built the lunar lander's legs.
1972 Canada launches Anik-1, the first of a series of communications satellites. Anik-1 linked Canadians from coast to coast.
1976 Canada launches the Hermes satellite. Hermes was the first satellite capable of broadcasting TV and radio programs directly to low-cost home receivers.
1981 Launch of the Canadarm aboard the space shuttle Columbia.
1983 Selection of the first six Canadian astronauts: Roberta Bondar, Marc Garneau, Steve MacLean, Ken Money, Robert Thirsk, and Bjarni Tryggvason.
1984 Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
1988 Canada becomes a full partner in the development of the International Space Station.
1989 The Canadian Space Agency is established.
1992 Roberta Bondar becomes the first Canadian woman in space aboard the shuttle Discovery.
1995 Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield becomes the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit. He is also the only Canadian to visit Mir, the Russian space station. Canada launches RADARSAT-1, the country's first Earth-observation satellite.
1996 Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau returns to space aboard the shuttle Endeavour. Astronaut Robert Thirsk performs life-science experiments aboard Columbia.
1997 Canadian astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason performs experiments on the Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mount aboard the shuttle Discovery. Also, the Mars Pathfinder lander and its Sojourner rover touch down on the red planet. Sojourner needed a ramp so it could leave the lander and study the planet's surface. A Canadian company built that ramp.
1998 Canadian astronaut Dave Williams flies aboard the shuttle Columbia as part of the Neurolab mission. He later becomes the first non-American director of NASA's Space and Life Sciences Directorate.
1999 Canadian astronaut Julie Payette becomes the first Canadian to set foot on the International Space Station.
2000 Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau returns to space aboard the shuttle Endeavour. Garneau helps install a pair of solar panels on the International Space Station.
2001 Astronaut Chris Hadfield becomes the first Canadian to perform a spacewalk. He helps install Canadarm2 on the International Space Station.
2003 Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean is scheduled to visit the International Space Station in April. He will help add trusses to the station and put solar panels into place.
Source: Canadian Space Agency