Site visit highlights NordSpace's progress toward Canada’s first vertically integrated sovereign orbital launch capability

ST. LAWRENCE, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR, CANADA, July 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On July 14th at its Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX) in Newfoundland and Labrador, NordSpace Corp. welcomed senior representatives from the Department of National Defence, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and the Town of St. Lawrence, providing officials with an update on construction activities and the company’s plans to establish Canada’s first vertically-integrated orbital launch capability.

The delegation toured NordSpace’s existing Space Launch Complex 02 (SLC-02) where construction started in 2025, which supports suborbital and light lift orbital launches, and received a briefing on construction plans for Space Launch Complex 01 (SLC-01), where orbital launch infrastructure is now entering its next phase of development. The Atlantic Spaceport Complex is NordSpace's commercial spaceport and the most capable launch site in Canada in terms of widest inclination ranges, largest safety distances for scalability to medium and heavy-lift vehicles, and highest approved launch cadence. Construction across SLC-01 and SLC-02 is continuing through this summer.

The ASX facility will enable the launch of NordSpace’s Canadian-designed and built space launch vehicles for defence, commercial, and civil missions. Once completed, it will provide Canada with sovereign, assured access to space, while strengthening domestic aerospace manufacturing, creating high-skilled jobs and supporting Canada’s growing space economy. The ASX will help Canada achieve its priority sovereign space capabilities as stated in its new Defence Industrial Strategy, including Space-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Satellite Communications, and Space Domain Awareness (SDA).

As a 100% Canadian-owned company, NordSpace embodies the "build" priority of the Defence Industrial Strategy's Build–Partner–Buy framework. NordSpace is primarily building its launch, spaceport and space systems technology in Canada, while partnering with other specialized Canadian entities where appropriate. The company is committed to ITAR-free development of its launch capabilities, ensuring sovereign control over critical intellectual property and freedom to operate unencumbered by foreign restrictions on technology export. NordSpace prioritizes growth of Canadian IP in the Canadian defence industrial base and plans to reinvest profits into well-paid, highly skilled jobs in Canada.

“We were pleased to welcome our federal, provincial, and municipal partners to the Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX) and showcase the significant progress being made,” said Rahul Goel, Chief Executive Officer of NordSpace. “Canada has the talent, technology, and industrial capacity to become a launching nation. NordSpace’s ASX is an important step toward building sovereign space infrastructure that supports our national security, economic competitiveness, and scientific ambitions.”

Representatives from the Department of National Defence, the Newfoundland and Labrador Dept of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and municipal leaders from the Town of St. Lawrence attended the site visit. The delegation also met with local residents during a community town hall and barbecue hosted by members of the St. Lawrence Volunteer Fire Department.

Construction of the ASX is proceeding in phases. NordSpace is currently advancing site access infrastructure and preparing for construction of dedicated orbital launch pads that will support light and medium-lift launch vehicles developed end-to-end by NordSpace. This vertical integration leverages domestic supply chains and attracts highly skilled workers from across Canada. NordSpace expects the spaceport to serve government, defence, commercial, and international customers seeking responsive launch services from Canadian soil.

NordSpace's upcoming suborbital launches of its Taiga pathfinder rocket from ASX will serve as a critical operational test bed on both sides of the equation the company is now building for. On the technical side, Taiga will retire risk on flight technologies critical to the orbital-class Tundra vehicle, including propulsion, avionics, guidance, and recovery systems as Canada’s first commercial liquid rocket launch. On the regulatory side, Taiga will aim to provide the first real-world exercise of Canada's Commercial Space Launch licensing regime, range and airspace management procedures, day-of-launch coordination between operator and regulator, and public safety frameworks. Each Taiga launch is designed to build institutional muscle memory across NordSpace and its federal counterparts ahead of Canada's first sovereign orbital launches.

The ASX is complementary to the company's ongoing scale-up at its other sites. Rocket Factory 1 in Markham serves as the company's headquarters and 60,000 sqft advanced manufacturing campus, producing the light-lift Tundra and medium-lift Tundra+ orbital launch vehicles, the patent-pending Hadfield-150 engine line, and space systems satellite and robotics products. Area 66 in Eastern Ontario is the company's 50-acre propulsion test range, home to the Darkhorse engine test cell, with the Blackhawk test cell scheduled to reach operational readiness later this summer in preparation for the largest rocket engine test in Canadian history. Finally, the recently announced Ottawa office led by former Transport Canada executive, Elsa Henchiri, executes on government, regulatory, and policy matters.

About NordSpace

NordSpace Corp., established in 2022, is a fully Canadian-owned aerospace and defence company developing vertically integrated solutions across responsive orbital launch vehicles, spaceports, turnkey satellites, and mission-critical software systems. Its hardware is designed, built, and flown in Canada, with the mission of advancing life on Earth through space and delivering innovation, jobs, national security, and sovereignty.

Jennifer Gawor
NordSpace Corp.
contact@nordspace.com
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