Former NASA chief economist named new head of Canadian Space Agency

Alexander MacDonald was named the new president of the Canadian Space Agency late Wednesday evening.

Alexander MacDonald helped establish the 'Moon to Mars' strategy that includes the Artemis mission

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 04, 2026 8:38 PM EST | Last Updated: 15 minutes ago

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Alexander MacDonald was named the new president of the Canadian Space Agency late Wednesday evening.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly made the announcement in Ottawa during a tribute event to the late Marc Garneau, the first Canadian to travel to space.

MacDonald served as NASA's first chief economist, according to a government news release. In that role, he helped establish the "Moon to Mars" strategy, which includes the recent Artemis II mission that saw Canadian Jeremy Hansen travel around the moon earlier this year.

"As incredible as this year has been, I am even more excited about what the future holds for Canadians in space," MacDonald told the Ottawa crowd at Thursday's event.

"Space has never been more important for the strength and future of Canada, and never before has the world looked to Canada more for global leadership in the space domain."

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MacDonald takes over from Campbell

MacDonald is taking over from outgoing president Lisa Campbell, who had been in the role since 2020. His appointment comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney's government looks to expand Canada's space capabilities.

Earlier this month, Joly also appointed Hansen as a special advisor to the government on developing a new space strategy.

The federal government listed space-based platforms for surveillance as a key priority in its new defence industrial strategy released in February. The Carney government is also looking to expand co-operation with European countries in space as part of the proposed partnership with the European Union.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darren Major is a senior writer for CBC's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. He previously worked as a digital reporter for CBC Ottawa and a producer for CBC's Power & Politics. He holds a master's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in public affairs and policy management, both from Carleton University. He also holds a master's degree in arts from Queen's University. He can be reached at darren.major@cbc.ca.