Over the last 3 decades, the CSA has provided support for Canadian participation in a number of Far-IR space astronomy missions: ISO and AKARI at modest levels; Herschel through the HIFI and SPIRE instruments and their teams; and for the last decade, technology development (e.g., through FAST and STDP programs) for the SPICA mission. This technology development is currently ongoing and Canada’s expertise in this area is highly regarded.
The demise of SPICA has raised the profile of a Far-IR mission within the US Decadal report. While the situation is extremely fluid, there remain reasons for optimism and excitement at the prospect of a smaller, less-ambitious, but potentially nearer-term Far-IR space telescope mission led by NASA.