HALIFAX, NS, May 12, 2021 – Maritime Launch Services Ltd., owner of Canada’s first commercial spaceport, has announced that it has closed a 10.5 million dollar round of funding that will enable MLS to achieve first flight heritage in 2022 of a small class launcher and mature the site and the Cyclone 4M medium class launch vehicle for launch in 2023 from its complex near Canso, Nova Scotia. With construction to begin this fall, Maritime Launch’s commercial launch complex will be the first of its kind in Canada.
The $110 million rocket spaceport will be Canada’s facility used to launch commercial satellites into space with a goal for up to eight launches annually. The site will include a 10-15 metre-tall control centre and rocket assembly facility, with a launch pad positioned 2.4 kilometres away, linked by a custom rail system for rocket transportation. It will be the only operational spaceport in Canada, after the abandonment of the Churchill Rocket Research Range in the 1990s, and the first commercial spaceport for orbital launches in the country. It is estimated that construction of the spaceport will take three or four years to complete. President Steve Matier added that hiring will begin to support the effort of launching satellites into low earth orbit.
“We are thrilled with today’s announcement as it advances our initiative to disrupt the launch industry by giving our clients an affordable price per kilogram and just as importantly, the ability to deliver their payloads to space when they want them and where they want them.”
Steve Matier, President and CEO of MLS
MLS stated they are “looking forward to starting construction, ramping up operations and finalizing our launch vehicle offerings.”
Maritime Launch will offer capacity to address the launch requirements of the fast-growing LEO space industry worldwide. The medium class launch vehicle, the Cyclone 4M can send a 5-ton satellite payload capacity and 4-meter fairing.
“We have selected the most optimal location for our launch complex” said Matier. “Near the town of Canso, our launch site will provide a wide range of launch inclinations including optimal polar and sun-synchronous launch trajectories. Along with the creation of the launch site, we are looking forward to hiring a talented team and contributing indirectly to economic growth, including local infrastructure improvements and increased tourism”.
