One small step for a homegrown company, one giant leap for Canada’s space sector.
Driving the news: Toronto-based startup NordSpace is scheduled to launch the country’s first-ever commercial rocket mission next month. The company’s Taiga spacecraft, which will launch from Newfoundland, was manufactured entirely in Canada using Canadian parts.
- The first-of-its-kind mission is a major stepping stone in NordSpace’s ultimate goal of having monthly rocket launches carrying Canadian satellites to space by 2030.
Why it matters: Canada has always relied on foreign companies and governments, including Russia, to launch its domestic satellites, which are vital for everything from national defence to disaster response to internet connectivity in rural areas.
- The Department of National Defence even flagged last year that the lack of domestic launch options — and reliance on foreign companies — is a vulnerability.
- Ottawa told NordSpace it doesn’t want to continue relying on foreign partners, which include SpaceX, especially to launch assets that are sensitive to national security.
Zoom out: Having sovereign space infrastructure is all the more important for what many say is the next frontier of the space race: lunar mining. The government is already funding two companies specifically researching space mining tech, and some believe that Canada could become a central player in the Star Wars sounding industry.—LA