was launched from Baikonur atop a Soyuz rocket. The new Radarsat, which features many technical improvements over the first Radarsat, is a joint venture between the Canadian government and contractor MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. March 11, 2008 - The Endeavour STS-123 mission was launched carrying Dextre, also known as the Canada Hand and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. The sophisticated robot was installed by Endeavour's astronauts on the ISS six days later. Dextre, which is the third and final part of the Mobile Servicing System, Canada's contribution to the ISS, is used to remove and replace smaller components on the station's exterior. April 28, 2008 - Canada's second nanosatellite, CanX-2, was successfully launched with other satellites atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. The CanX satellites are built by researchers at the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS). May 31, 2008 - American astronaut Greg Chamitoff, who was born in Montreal and spent his early childhood there, was launched aboard Discovery on STS-124 and served aboard the ISS as flight engineer and science officer for Expeditions 17 and 18. After 183 days in space, Chamitoff returned to Earth aboard STS-126 on Endeavour on November 30, 2008. He later flew aboard Endeavour on STS-134, the second last shuttle mission, in May 2011. September 20, 2008 - Nimiq 4, which provides direct-to-home television services, was launched by a Proton rocket from Baikonur. The Nimiq 3 designation was