Calgary
SpaceX to write the next chapter in human space flight
This week American astronauts are scheduled to take off from US soil for the first time since 2011. The first SpaceX Crew Dragon launch carrying people into space is scheduled for May 27th.
This historic launch is a huge milestone for spaceflight. Not only is it the first time Americans have launched from the US since the shuttle retired, but it’s the first time a private company has launched people to the International Space Station.
It takes a lot of work to design, build, and certify a human launch vehicle. The iconic Space Shuttle was proposed in 1969 and the design was approved in 1972. The five completed shuttle orbiters were in operation from 1981 to 2011 and completed over 1300 days in space. When it was retired, the United States lost its ability to send astronauts into space and have been relying on Russia to send crew members to the ISS.
SpaceX has been developing rockets since 2002 and has had its shares of ups and downs. The company’s first launches failed and they would have gone bankrupt in 2008 had they not succeeded on their fourth mission. Since then, they have been the first private company to launch a liquid propelled rocket into orbit (2008), recover a spacecraft (2010), send a spacecraft to the ISS (2012), and land a rocket back on Earth (2017).
Now they aim to be the first private company to launch humans into orbit.
The Crew Dragon capsule that will bring astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into space to dock with the ISS is currently sitting on Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX has been developing the Dragon 2 capsule for several years under the NASA Commercial Space program. While the program has made tremendous progress, it has also had its setbacks. On April 20, 2019, the Crew Dragon demo capsule exploded while on the test stand.
If successful, this mission will pave the way for the privatization of space activities. I’ve written previously about the opportunities for Alberta in space. As more people start to visit space, rockets will need more fuel to move around. This fuel can be made from ice deposits on the Moon – our Alberta Oil Sands projects possess the technology to extract, process, and store water to use in rocket fuel.
We are about to enter a new era of spaceflight that will drive innovation. Alberta is fully capable to contribute to and participate in the opportunities that will arise from this new era.
For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.
Alberta
Calgary Ring Road opens 10 months early
Christmas comes early for Calgary drivers
The Calgary Ring Road is now ready to be opened to public traffic, several months ahead of schedule.
Calgary’s ring road is one of the largest infrastructure undertakings in Calgary’s history and includes 197 new bridges and 48 interchanges. The 101-kilometre free-flowing Calgary Ring Road will open to traffic Dec. 19, completing a project decades in the making.
“Calgary’s ring road is a project that has been decades in the making and its completion is a real cause for celebration. This has been an important project and our government got it done. With this final section completed, travelling just got a little easier for families and for workers. This will not only benefit Calgarians and residents in the metro region, it will provide a boost to our economy, as goods can be transported more easily across our province.”
Although construction of the entire ring road project began in 1999 under former premier Ralph Klein, discussions on a ring road around the City of Calgary began as early as the 1950s. In the late 1970s, under former premier Peter Lougheed, high-level planning and land acquisition started and a transportation utility corridor was established to make the Calgary Ring Road a reality.
“The final section of the Calgary Ring Road is now complete, and I’d like to acknowledge the work done by former premiers and transportation ministers and their vision to build Alberta. I’m proud to announce that the final section was completed on budget and months ahead of schedule.”
“I’m thrilled to see the Calgary Ring Road project completed. It was something I have helped shepherd through the process since 2014. Finally, all the hard work put in by everyone has become a reality. The Calgary Ring Road will provide travellers with over 100 kilometres of free-flow travel, create new travel options for the City of Calgary and surrounding area and provide improved market access across the region.”
Opening the ring road means new travel options for Calgarians, which will draw traffic away from heavily travelled and congested roads such as the Deerfoot Trail, 16th Avenue, Glenmore Trail and Sarcee Trail. For commercial carriers, the ring road provides an efficient bypass route, saving time and money for the delivery and shipment of goods and services.
“The ring road investment generated thousands of local jobs and will now play an integral role in keeping Calgarians and the economy moving. This important transportation link will ease congestion on city routes and greatly improve connectivity and access for businesses transporting goods.”
The ring road is a critical component to growing economic corridors in Alberta and Western Canada, as it connects the Trans-Canada Highway to the east and west, and the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and Highway 2 to the north and south. It is also part of the CANAMEX corridor, which connects Alberta to the highway network in the United States and Mexico.
The completion of the ring road is a major boost for Calgary, opening new business opportunities and supporting key components of the Calgary economy. It sends a signal to businesses and investors that Calgary has a strong highway infrastructure, providing economic corridor connections through the entire region.
“With one of the smoothest commutes in Canada and the capacity to reach 16 million customers by road within a single day, Calgary offers unmatched quality of life and economic opportunities. The triumphant completion of the Calgary Ring Road further improves our capacity to attract even more companies, capital and talent to our city.”
“This is an exciting step forward for the Calgary Metropolitan Region. This key artery will not only improve the quality of life for the residents of the region, it is also a key economic enabler and we are thrilled to see its completion.”
Quick facts
- Stretched into a single lane, the highway is 1,304 kilometres long, the distance from Calgary to Winnipeg.
- Other sections opened in 2009, 2013, 2020 and 2023.
- The West Calgary Ring Road is the final piece of the ring road project.
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