Vanguard Magazine

10 JUNE/JULY 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com S Sit rEp A $35 million contract was awarded to Zodiac Hurricane Technologies of Delta, B.C. for 30 new multi-role boats for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The announcement that was made on June 3 states that the "new boats will replace the rigid hull inflatable boats currently used on the RCN's fleet of Halifax-class frigates with a more modern and opera- tionally flexible design." The new multi-role boats will be about nine metres in length with a seating capacity of 12. They will also be outfitted with increased speed, dual-engine configuration, and electronic suite upgrades to communi- cations, navigation, and sensors. "Ensuring our sailors are well equipped to carry out their work is criti- cal for maintaining the success of Royal Canadian Navy operations at home, and abroad," said Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence. "These new multi-role boats represent an important investment in our Navy and the women and men who serve Canada. By investing in our local communities, we help to create well-paying middle-class jobs for Canadians." Multi-role boats are used by the RCN for search and rescue, humani- tarian aid, disaster relief, and marine interdiction operations and other tasks at sea. These boats will also provide other support to the Canadian Armed Forces including improved dive support, cargo, and personnel transfers. Canada awards contract for 30 new multi-role boats for the RCN "The multi-role boat enhances the capabilities of our sailors and strengthens the RCN," said VAdm Art McDonald, Commander of the RCN. "From boarding parties involved in maritime interdiction operations, to search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions, these new boats will increase our capacity to carry out a range of critical naval tasks. I am very excited for this addition to the fleet, which will ensure our Navy remains Ready to Help, Ready to Lead, Ready to Fight." Two multi-role boats will be on each Halifax-class frigate, while four boats will be used for training and two boats will be used as spares. The 30 new boats are expected to be delivered to the RCN by spring 2024. NASA astronaut is seen floating during a space- walk on Dec. 21, 2015. Photo: NASA Image: Zodiac Hurricane Technologies. MDA hires retired US astronaut Kopra for robotics and space operations Retired US astronaut Tim Kopra will be joining the leadership team of MDA as Vice President of Robotics and Space Operations. His position takes effect immediately and will be responsible for the work of the ro- botics and space operations teams at MDA sites in Brampton, Ottawa, Saint-Hubert, and Houston. "We are thrilled to have Tim join our executive leadership team," said Mike Greenley, Chief Executive Officer of MDA. "As we embark on the next decade of space exploration, with the Artemis lunar program, commer- cial on-orbit servicing and on-orbit manufacturing, as well increasing activity on Mars, MDA has a large role to play and I believe Tim's opera- tional experience and leadership skills will be essential to our continued growth and success." Kopra has a wide range of experience from working in various roles with the US military, the National Aeronautics and Space Administra- tion (NASA), private equity, and venture capital landscape. From 1985 to 2010, he served as Army Aviator in the US Army achieving the rank of Colonel with aviation operations during Operation Desert Shield and Op- eration Desert Storm within Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. In Germany, he led an attack helicopter company and also served as an experimental test pilot on various projects. He was assigned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as a ve- hicle integration test engineer in 1998 and selected as an astronaut in 2000. At NASA, he served in many technical and leadership assignments relating to International Space Station (ISS) hardware and aviation safety. During his preparation for a space mission, he trained in the US, Rus- sia, Japan, Germany, and Canada on ISS hardware and systems, ISS as- sembly, and scientific experiments. He later flew on two spaceflights, serving as Space Shuttle Mission Specialist on STS-127/128 and ISS Expedition 20 Flight Engineer from July-September 2009, and later as ISS Expedition 46 Flight Engineer, Expedition 47 Commander, and Soyuz 19M Spacecraft co-pilot from December 2015-June 2016. He logged a to- tal of 244 days in space and executed assembly tasks using Canadarm2. Kopra was on three spacewalks totalling 13 hours and 31 minutes. He also served on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion's (NOAA) Aquarius underwater laboratory as part of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 11, testing space suit design concepts, communication protocols, construction techniques, and the use of robotic devices. He formally retired from NASA in October 2018. Since 2016, Kopra has been a partner and advisor at Blue Bear Capital, a private equity firm that invests in high-growth technology companies and start-ups across the energy, infrastructure, and climate industries. He also served in advisory roles in other private equity and venture capital firms.

• Cover