Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Walt Natynczyk, the president of the Canadian Space Agency, speaks to Montreal Council on International Relations in Montreal on, April 15, 2014.  THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The head of the Canadian Space Agency, a former top general, insists his appointment as president last August does not signal the militarization of the federal department.

"I have to support the mandate that the Government of Canada has given the space agency and that is the peaceful use of space and it doesn't change whatsoever," Walt Natynczyk said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"We're very much in accordance with the Canadian Space Act, which is that the space agency is created for the peaceful uses of space."

Natynczyk said he is working with "a great team of civilians" but that he's also pleased "a number of the space agency folks were former military."

The ex-chief of defence staff added there's "a natural relationship" between the Canadian military and space because of project management and the requirement for strategic planning.

Worth noting is that Canada now has Sapphire, a military satellite in orbit and its mission is to support Canadian and international military operations as well as bilateral commitments such as NORAD.

He said space agency workers are really comfortable with him now after eight months — "at least that's what they're telling me."

The space agency has close to 700 employees, with 90 per cent of them employed at its headquarters in Longueuil, just south of Montreal.

Natynczyk took over as president on Aug. 6, 2013. He replaced former astronaut Steve MacLean who had quit six months earlier.

In a wide-ranging interview, Natynczyk also indicated he is not jumping at the possibility of Canada taking part in a U.S. plan to send astronauts to visit an asteroid.

In 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama challenged NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid. But reaction in the American Congress has been lukewarm and the proposal has not generated much enthusiasm.

NASA has described the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) as "a key part of the agency's stepping-stone path to send humans to Mars."

"At this point in time we have not indicated any interest to participate in that program," Natynczyk said.