Canadian astronaut, entrepreneur donates $15M to Concordia to launch new space school

A Canadian entrepreneur, investor and commercial astronaut has given Concordia University $15 million to launch a new space school focused on engineering, research and student training.

Mark Pathy, chairman of Stingray Group and mission specialist aboard SpaceX Axiom Space-1, made the donation after viewing Canada from 400 km above the country in the ISS in 2022. 

His flight, which he paid $50 USD million to take part in, was the first commercial spaceflight to the ISS.

“This gift represents one giant leap for Concordia,” said Concordia President Graham Carr, adding the donation will have a “lasting impact on our university and on Canada’s role in the global space community.”

The school, to be called the Mark Pathy Space Institute, will be housed at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Science.

“Canada has the technology, expertise and industrial base to play a much larger role in the global space sector,” said Pathy. 

The institute will serve as a research, student training, and partnership hub, partially supported by Pathy’s donation of an off-campus testing facility for engine testing and hardware verification, the university said.

The campus will be unique in that robotics, propulsion, human space health and sustainability will all exist in one university ecosystem, they added. 

Canadian contributions to space have been blasting off in recent years, including the development of Canadarm3, described as an autonomous, AI-enabled robotic system for the moon that will support future Artemis missions.

Last month, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen made history as a mission specialist on the Artemis II, which took four astronauts the furthest from Earth any human has gone, and marked the return of lunar exploration in the first flyby in two generations.