Canada is taking a bigger step into space, and the plan starts on the Atlantic coast.
Credit: CNW Group/Maritime Launch Services Inc.
The Department of National Defence announced a $200-million investment over 10 years to secure a dedicated launch pad at a Canadian-owned spaceport near Canso, Nova Scotia. The facility will be run by Maritime Launch Services Inc. and is expected to reach initial operational readiness by the end of 2026.
The agreement gives the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces access to launch infrastructure on Canadian soil, something the government says is increasingly important as global demand for space launches grows.
Under the deal, Maritime Launch Services will receive $20 million annually, with 90% of those funds spent in Canada, directing at least $180 million back into Canadian businesses and workers.
Alongside the infrastructure investment, the government unveiled the first recipients of funding through the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program’s “Launch the North” initiative. The challenge is backed by $105 million in grants to develop technology that could enable Canadian payloads to launch from Canada by 2028.
Three companies were selected for the first round, each conditionally approved for $8.3 million: NordSpace, Canada Rocket Company, and Reaction Dynamics. Their projects range from responsive launch vehicles to scalable rocket systems.
McGuinty also confirmed that Canada intends to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s STARLIFT initiative, a program designed to give allied countries faster access to launch capabilities across multiple spaceports.
The announcements form part of the federal government’s Defence Industrial Strategy, “Security, Sovereignty, Prosperity,” and the sovereign launch program introduced in Budget 2025. The goal is straightforward: launch satellites on Canadian-built rockets, from Canadian facilities, on Canadian soil.
With the global space economy projected to reach about $2 trillion by 2040, Ottawa says building that capability now could position Canadian companies and workers to benefit for decades.