Canada Rocket Company Enters the ‘Launch the North’ Sweepstakes and Raises $6.2M in Seed Round
Canada Rocket Company (CRC) emerged from stealth after closing a $6.2 million seed round co‑led by BDC and Garage Capital, with participation from Ripple Ventures and other investors. The Toronto‑based startup’s founding team includes former SpaceX senior engineers, and it is developing a 700 kN methalox E‑1 engine and the R‑1 responsive light‑lift vehicle capable of delivering up to 700 kg to low‑Earth orbit. CRC is positioning itself for Canada’s “Launch the North” sovereign launch challenge and has already secured partnerships with several Canadian aerospace firms. The funding and talent aim to build a domestic launch capability and supply chain for national security and commercial missions.
Concordia University Seeks and Gets Injunction Against Polaris Aerospace in ‘Launch the North’ Dispute
Concordia University obtained a provisional 10‑day injunction against former student and Polaris Aerospace co‑founder Oleg Khalimonov for allegedly misusing Starsailor project intellectual property in the Department of National Defence’s Launch the North challenge. The Superior Court of Québec ruled Concordia...
Where Does the Trash Go? And How Artemis 2 Astronauts Stay Organized
In a Canadian Space Agency video, astronaut Jeremy Hansen explains how the Artemis II crew will manage storage and waste aboard the Orion spacecraft during its nine‑day, four‑person mission. The crew will use labeled stowage bags and dedicated trash bags to...
Kepler Communications Set to Launch 10 AETHER Optical Relay Satellites This Sunday
Kepler Communications is set to launch ten AETHER optical relay satellites on SpaceX’s Twilight rideshare mission early Sunday, with a launch window opening at 8:19 a.m. ET from Vandenberg. The batch represents the first operational tranche following two pathfinder satellites that...
Race for Canadian Sovereign Launch – $105M ‘Launch the North’ Challenge Draws Strong Interest
Canada has closed the application window for its $105 million “Launch the North” sovereign launch challenge, with more than a dozen firms reportedly submitting proposals. The competition’s Phase 1 will award up to three organizations $25 million each to develop responsive light‑lift launch...
European Space Agency DG Aschbacher Highlights 2026 Milestones in Annual Address
European Space Agency announced a record €22.3 billion budget for 2026‑2028, a 31% rise over the previous cycle, with the 2026 allocation at €8.26 billion. Canada increased its contribution to €407.7 million, four times its prior level. Ariane 6 achieved five successful flights in...
MDA Space Added as a ‘Golden Dome’ Contractor by the Missile Defense Agency
MDA Space has been added as a contractor to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) program, part of the broader Golden Dome strategy. The SHIELD initiative carries a $151 billion ceiling over ten years and...
Industry Report: Canada Risks Falling Behind without Major Overhaul of Space Procurement
Space Canada’s new position paper warns that Canada’s defence space capabilities risk lagging as the nation relies on U.S. suppliers for roughly 75 % of its capital budget. The report urges a sweeping procurement overhaul, championing commercially‑owned, commercially‑operated (COCO) models and...
Why Jeremy Hansen Is Leaving Entertainment Behind for His Trip Around the Moon
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will fly on NASA’s Artemis 2 lunar flyby, marking Canada’s first crewed deep‑space mission. The nine‑day flight is packed with scientific experiments, capsule tests and scheduled downlinks, leaving only brief windows for personal time. Hansen says he...
Fragmentation and Consolidation (Part 2) – Getting Ahead of the Curve
The space sector is transitioning from a fragmented, novelty‑driven phase to a consolidation era where reliability and risk mitigation dominate. Customers no longer ask which component performs best; they demand proven delivery, stable interfaces, and support. Suppliers must shift their...
SEDS Canada Creates New Canadian CubeSat Conference
SEDS Canada, together with Space Concordia, is launching the inaugural Canadian CubeSat Conference, set for March 7‑8, 2026 at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business in Montreal. The event serves as the technical showcase for the newly formed Canadian CubeSat Network (CCN),...
Globalstar Updates FCC on Its Planned C-3 Satellite Constellation
Globalstar met with FCC senior counsel to reaffirm its request for U.S. market access for the third‑generation C‑3 satellite system, a 48‑satellite constellation plus six on‑orbit spares built by MDA Space. The filing also explicitly opposed Starlink’s use of Globalstar’s...
Maritime Launch Appoints Melissa Quinn to Oversee Spaceport Readiness
Maritime Launch Services has appointed Melissa Quinn as Vice President of Spaceport Operations, overseeing the transition of Spaceport Nova Scotia from development to full operational capability. Quinn joins on a secondment from MDA Space after a brief stint as Senior...
Will 2026 Be the Year the Canadian CASTOR Space Telescope Is Approved?
The Canadian Astronomical Society reported that a Phase A+ study for the CASTOR space telescope is slated for early January 2026, following intensified lobbying and high‑level meetings between the CSA and NRC. Recent mid‑term review recommendations reaffirm CASTOR as a top community...
