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By Sidhartha Banerjee

LONGUEUIL — Canada is investing in a new tool for the International Space Station that will help astronauts take a closer look at the many dings and dents all over its hull.

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The federal government announced Thursday that a $1.7-million design contract has been awarded to an Ottawa firm to develop the monitoring system made up of lasers and cutting-edge cameras.

The end product will be roughly the size of a microwave oven and will be mounted to Dextre, the Canadian-made robotic handyman, to help look for any damage on the aging ISS.

“We’re constantly getting bombarded by micro-meteorites on the International Space Station, so this is a risk to astronauts,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who was among those attending the announcement at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters near Montreal.

“This will allow us to inspect the space station and look for potential issues where we may have to go out and do repairs.”