Canadian military invests in sovereign launch

WASHINGTON — The Canadian military announced March 16 a major investment in both launch facilities and companies in a bid to create a sovereign space access capability.

Canada’s Department of National Defence said it signed a 10-year lease agreement with spaceport operator Maritime Launch Services for a dedicated launch pad at the company’s Spaceport Nova Scotia near Canso, Nova Scotia. The lease is valued at 200 million Canadian dollars ($146 million).

The department also announced the selection of three companies for Launch the North, a program announced in 2025 that will provide 105 million Canadian dollars over several years to companies to develop small, responsive launch vehicles, with a goal of fielding those vehicles by 2028.

The three companies selected — Canada Rocket Company, NordSpace and Reaction Dynamics — will each receive 8.3 million Canadian dollars for the first phase of the program, advancing designs and prototype development.

Canada’s defense minister, David McGuinty, described the spaceport and launch company awards as part of an effort to develop a sovereign launch capability to reduce Canadian reliance on foreign launch services.

“It’s not only satellites that are critical to the defense and security of Canadians. It’s access to space itself,” he said at an event announcing the investments. “It’s why we’re taking steps to strengthen our space capabilities so that we can launch from right here on Canadian soil.”

“We must make sure that our sovereignty is protected, that we’re not dependent on third parties who might put at risk our connectivity through satellites,” he said later in the event.

The announcement is a boon for Maritime Launch Services, a publicly traded company that has been working on its spaceport for several years but has yet to host a space launch.

“Spaceport Nova Scotia is ready to serve as Canada’s choice for sovereign orbital launch capability,” Stephen Matier, president and chief executive of Maritime Launch Services, said in a statement. “By enabling reliable launch access from Canadian soil, Spaceport Nova Scotia will help unlock the growth of the Canadian space sector and create lasting economic opportunity for Canadians.”

McGuinty did not go into details about why the government selected Spaceport Nova Scotia for the lease, given efforts to establish other launch sites in the country, such as the Atlantic Spaceport Complex that NordSpace is developing in Newfoundland.

“They’re a good company, and we work with good companies,” he said of the selection of Maritime Launch Services.

As part of the lease agreement, Maritime Launch Services agreed to spend at least 90% of the money within Canada. The dedicated pad will be used by the Canadian military and other government agencies.

Industry welcomed the investment. “Space is strategically vital to modern defense and represents a major economic opportunity for Canada given the projected rapid growth of the global space sector,” said Brian Gallant, chief executive of industry group Space Canada, at the event.

“Canada must adopt policies and make investments that enable our space industrial base,” he added. “A key step is further developing sovereign space launch capability, ensuring we can support growing global demand while protecting both our economic and national security interests.”

In addition to the spaceport and launch company deals, the Canadian government announced it would join Starlift, a NATO project where members states collaborate to launch payloads on short notice. NATO established Starlift in 2024 with 14 of its member states, including the United States.

“What’s really important for Canadians to understand is we’ve made a decision, and the decision is we’re getting fully back into the space business,” McGuinty said. “We’re getting even more aggressively into the space business.”