Government of Canada supports aerospace and space innovation to strengthen security, boost prosperity, and enhance sovereign capabilities
Press Release + Noah Note
April 1, 2026 - Toronto, Ontario
Canada’s security and economic prosperity depend on strong domestic capabilities in critical technologies. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting innovative companies that strengthen our defence readiness, and create high‑quality jobs for Canadians.
Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced a combined investment of $14.5 million to accelerate the growth of two leading Canadian companies, strengthen their competitiveness in the defence sector and contribute to building Canadian sovereign capabilities in aerospace and space.
This includes a $7-million investment for Kepler Communications Inc., a Toronto‑based satellite telecommunications company that designs and builds satellites to deliver secure, resilient, and sovereign communications and data services between space and Earth. This investment builds on previous Government of Canada investments which supported the design and development of a low‑Earth‑orbit constellation and the manufacture of the first tranche of small satellites. Today’s FedDev Ontario investment will help Kepler to advance its Tranche 1 (T1) satellite engineering and accelerate the commercialization of these capabilities. The company has already achieved major milestones—including designing and deploying its first satellites and demonstrating low latency, high‑speed, resilient communications. Through this project, the company will be able to scale from early development into market‑ready operations.
In January 2026, Kepler launched Tranche 1 of it’s network, consisting of 10 optical communications satellites, with upcoming activities focused on demonstrating advanced network capabilities—such as Arctic communications, customer connectivity trials, and achieving full service‑ready operations. The investment will position Kepler to participate in Canada’s Defence Enhanced Surveillance from Space Project as well as position Canada as an early mover in next-generation space and defence technologies, supporting both national needs and allied missions while building sovereign space capabilities.
Dishon Limited is receiving an investment of $7.5 million to support the company as it scales its production capabilities at its new 30,000 square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Vaughan, through the adoption of state‑of‑the‑art machining and precision‑measurement equipment.
This expansion will allow the company to scale production of complex, high-precision components and meet increased demand from key aerospace customers. This project will expand capabilities, improve competitiveness, and create a foundation for long-term growth in aerospace—military aviation, space, and satellite—as well as in low-carbon energy initiatives, including fusion energy markets.
The Government of Canada remains focused on building a strong and innovative aerospace and space industry that supports national security, drives economic growth, and delivers real benefits for Canadians.
Quotes
“Kepler Communications and Dishon Limited are strong examples of Canadian innovators. By investing in these companies, building sovereign capabilities at home while ensuring Canada remains a strong, trusted partner in the rapidly evolving space and defence landscape.”
The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
“Today’s announcement showcases the cutting‑edge work happening across the Greater Toronto Area, where companies like Kepler Communications and Dishon Limited are creating skilled jobs and building capabilities that strengthens Canada’s security and supports our future in space. These investments will help these companies grow, while strengthening Canada’s defence supply chain—ensuring that our country has reliable, homegrown sovereign capabilities.”
Julie Dzerowicz, Member of Parliament for Davenport
“Kepler is thankful to receive this support from FedDev Ontario. This investment will support work underway for our Tranche 1 optical network. Kepler will also leverage this investment to support future intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance requirements with the Department of National Defence.”
Mina Mitry, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder, Kepler Communications Inc.
“FedDev Ontario’s investment in Dishon is pivotal—enabling our company to keep up with the largest rocket makers in the world, the growing commercial aircraft industry, and the forefront of advanced manufacturing companies who are commercializing new technologies. We are grateful to FedDev and for the amazing workforce we’ve been able to attract here in Vaughan.”
Ilan Dishy, President, Dishon Limited
Quick facts
Southern Ontario’s defence sector is an important contributor to the economy. Its 900 defence capable firms accounted for 81,000 jobs in 2022. These companies generated $14.2 billion in revenues that same year and contributed $9.6 billion to Canada’s GDP. Southern Ontario's defence ecosystem is dynamic, with strengths in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, automotive technologies, cybersecurity, robotics, and AI. It is well-positioned to seize new defence opportunities and strengthen its role in global supply chains.
Delivered by Canada’s regional development agencies, the Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII) is a national $357.7-million investment supporting the growth and integration of businesses into domestic and international defence supply chains. FedDev Ontario is delivering the RDII in southern Ontario.
The Government of Canada announced a $200-million investment in core infrastructure for a Canadian-owned spaceport, along with other major new space-related capabilities and initiatives, marking a significant step forward in Canada’s sovereign space program.
The Government of Canada has achieved the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) defence spending target in the 2025-26 fiscal year, marking a significant milestone in Canada’s approach to national defence and collective security.
Incorporated in 2015, Kepler Communications Inc. specializes in designing, manufacturing, launching, and operating low Earth orbit satellites that deliver secure, resilient, and sovereign space‑based communications and data infrastructure. Kepler is on a mission to deliver real-time access to space data. With 33 satellites launched to date, Kepler operates the first commercial optical data relay constellation, enabling real-time, continuous space communications while supporting advanced on-orbit compute and hosted payload capabilities.
Employing over 170 employees, Kepler’s core activities include developing optical communications systems, IP mesh networking, and on-orbit compute and storage capabilities that support real-time data relay, mission critical communications, and distributed processing for defence, security, and government customers.
Incorporated in 1980 in Vaughan, Dishon Limited is a world-class supplier of precision components for the aerospace, nuclear power generation, and sub-sea oil & gas industries for North America, Europe and Asia.
Employing about 140 employees, Dishon Limited operates out of three facilities in Vaughan, providing engineering and manufacturing services in CNC Turning, Milling, Electrical Discharge Machining, Grinding, Honing, and Lapping, with key products, such as precision-engineered parts for aircraft landing gear, actuation systems, and other critical aerospace assemblies.
Noah Note: A special congrats to Kepler here. Their first trache of 10 satellites will soon be joined by a Trache 2 that aims to achieve over 95% coverage in LEO while providing backwards-compatible 100-gigabit optical capability. I don't fully know the timeline for that second trache, but hopefully it wont be too long. They seem to have quite the cool operation there! Even if we don't always talk about them.