Over three decades and 388 million miles later, the arm proved to be an essential partner for astronauts and an indispensable solution for both the expected and unexpected demands of human spaceflight.
Having worked with Canadarm technology for over 40 years, Mike Hiltz, Senior Manager of Mission Operations at MDA Space, has had a front-row seat to the arm’s role—as well as its successor’s, Canadarm2—in shaping space exploration.
“From our mission-critical role supporting more than 20 astronomy and Earth science payloads—including the Hubble Space Telescope—that expanded humanity’s understanding of the universe, to laying the cornerstone of the International Space Station by joining the Russian Zarya module to the American Unity node in 1998, and then going on to help assemble the entire station, MDA Space and Canadarm have been instrumental in countless historic moments in spaceflight, a proud legacy of technical ingenuity that continues to this day,” said Hiltz.
Pioneering the past, present, and future of space exploration
During the ceremony, David Michelson—the milestone proposer, the past Chair of the IEEE History Committee, and current Chair of the IEEE Communications History Committee—stressed that the Milestone program reminds the public and policymakers alike of the contributions of the engineering profession, recognizes the communities that contributed to important technical innovations, and encourages the historical scholarship that ensures the historical narrative concerning such technical innovations is complete, correct, objective. David Bart, Vice‑Chair of the IEEE History Committee and Chair of the Milestone Program Subcommittee, added that this dedication was especially momentous as IEEE’s 300th milestone, as well as a full-circle moment for Canada, since the very first Canadian IEEE milestone celebrated another major space achievement—the Alouette–ISIS satellite program.
Joined by current MDA Space employees who worked on Canadarm over the years, Holly Johnson, VP of Robotics and Space Operations and David Michelson unveiled the commemorative bronze plaque bearing the official IEEE citation.