The optical networking industry has been established globally for years now. Canada and the research and development teams of companies here in Canada have played leading roles in the evolution of that industry. And those pioneering efforts have not been constrained to just our planet. Innovation continues to this day in terms of the applications of optical systems in space as well.

The guest speaker for the last TechTuesday of 2019 (wow – already!) will be Dr. Alan Scott. Dr. Scott is an Engineering Fellow of Optical Technology at the Honeywell Space Greenhouse. Yes, the dominant maker of thermostats is also a global leader in industries including aerospace, defense, building automation, manufacturing and more.

Their space “incubator” is based here in Kanata, and Dr. Scott will be with us to discuss that initiative, the space optical systems heritage Canada enjoys, the disruption to the existing satellite communications market with the introduction of free space optical communications, the challenges with laser communications between satellites separated by thousands of kilometers of space, and more.

When not busy with such things, Dr. Scott is also an adjunct professor with the York University Earth and Space Sciences Faculty, and a past president of the Ottawa Chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. He has more than 20 years of experience designing optical remote sensing systems for space applications, and is the Optical Architect for the new Honeywell Optical Intersatellite Link Terminal currently under development for the emerging satellite constellation market focused on expanding global internet connectivity.

It should be a fascinating presentation, and we hope you can be with us to take it in …