Canada secures sovereign space launch and Arctic satellite capabilities

The Canadian Department of National Defence has signed a 10-year, C$20 million agreement with NordSpace to secure priority access to the Atlantic Spaceport Complex in Newfoundland and Labrador. The contract covers the maintenance of the facility and systems at the St. Lawrence site but does not include the costs of individual missions or launches.

In a separate move to enhance Arctic connectivity, the government awarded Kepler Communications a C$4.7 million, two-year contract. This project focuses on developing laser-based satellite links to enable direct data exchange between satellites, aiming to provide faster and more resilient communications in remote regions. This initiative supports Arctic surveillance and threat-detection objectives under the Northern Wide-Area Tracking and Continuous Horizon programme.

These developments are part of a broader effort to establish sovereign space capabilities. Budget 2025 allocated C$182.6 million over three years toward a sovereign launch programme, intended to ensure Canada can launch payloads into orbit independently during geopolitical tensions or disruptions to foreign markets.