The Canadian Space Agency was founded in
1989, with the stated purpose of acting as agent and go-between for
Canadian aerospace companies and their international partners and competitors. The Canadian Space Agency has no launch facilities and very few projects of its own; its primary function is
economic and
diplomatic. It does, however, oversee such activities and facilities as employment of Canadian
astronauts, the
David Florida Laboratory (a facility for
spacecraft assembly and integration), and the management of Canadian contributions to the
International Space Station.