Walter Natynczyk

Walter Natynczyk has been appointed president of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) effective August 6. Natynczyk replaces former astronaut Dr Steve MacLean, who quit the agency in February, several months short of the end of his five-year term and less than a week after the announcement of an Industry Canada-brokered deal with MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates to build the Radarsat Constellation Mission (R$, January 21/13). Natynczyk retired from the Canadian military last December when he held the title of chief of defence staff. A lifelong soldier, he graduated from Royal Rhodes Military College in 1979 with a degree in business administration. His appointment comes at a critical juncture for the embattled agency, which has seen a succession of presidents and interim appointments in recent years and more recently cuts in budget and staffing. It has also been operating for several years without a long-term space plan. The latest version was developed under MacLean's leadership in 2009 but it was never acted upon. It's not known whether a strategic plan will be one of Natynczyk's priorities….