Christian Lange, Science Advisor and Acting Director General, Space Science and Technology

Education

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Graz University of Technology (Graz, Austria)
• Bachelor's and Master's in Engineering, University of Rostock (Rostock, Germany)

Career

Dr. Christian Lange is the Chief Scientist and Acting Director General of the Space Science and Technology Directorate. In this role, he leads the Agency's efforts to define collaborative space research and development initiatives and to identify science and technology priorities. He also provides leadership for the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) capacity-building mandate through the Space Capacity Development Program and the Canada-ESA Cooperation Agreement.

Prior to this role, Dr. Lange served as Executive Director of the CSA's Lunar Exploration Program, where he provided executive and scientific leadership for the planning, development, and delivery of Canada's lunar surface initiatives, with a particular focus on the Lunar Utility Vehicle and Deep Space Food Production.

Previously, he served as Director of the CSA's Space Exploration Planning, Coordination and Advanced Concepts Division, where he led the planning of Canada's participation in future national and international space exploration missions.

He began his career as a postdoctoral fellow involved in the CSA's Space Technology Research Program, focusing on multibody dynamics simulations. He then worked for several years as a Research Scientist in Robotics, before transitioning to strategic technology development and exploration planning.