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Canada has a sophisticated space sector, with companies developing satellites, advanced technologies and systems that support communications, surveillance, and national security. What it hasn't had is its own reliable path to orbit.
Maritime Launch Services is on its way to changing that from Nova Scotia.
The company owns and operates Spaceport Nova Scotia, a dual-use commercial spaceport under development in the community of Canso on Canada’s Atlantic coast. More than a decade ago, Maritime Launch CEO Steve Matier, a former NASA contractor with decades of experience in the space industry, assessed 14 potential locations across North America in search of the right site for commercial launch.
The assessment considered orbital access, safety, transportation, logistics, talent, and workforce. Nova Scotia ultimately offered the winning combination the project required.
Canso’s geography gives Spaceport Nova Scotia access to a wide range of orbital inclinations, including low-Earth, sun-synchronous, and polar orbits, supporting applications ranging from communications and Earth observation to Arctic surveillance. Launches travel eastward over the Atlantic Ocean, creating an important safety advantage for commercial operations.
The location also offers the practical infrastructure needed to support launch operations. The site is connected to the Trans-Canada Highway, close to port infrastructure and an international airport, and supported by access to skilled talent and post-secondary institutions.
Together, those conditions gave Maritime Launch Services a viable North American location for a highly specialized piece of infrastructure and the surrounding ecosystem needed to build it.
Since 2016, Maritime Launch has spent years advancing the project through community engagement, environmental assessment, construction approvals, and federal regulatory work. The company has worked with communities around Canso, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, Mi’kmaq communities, provincial regulators, and the federal government as Canada develops the framework needed to support commercial launch.
During that same period, the strategic importance of sovereign domestic launch has grown considerably.
Canada already builds sophisticated satellites and space technologies but still relies on other countries to put them into orbit. That dependence has implications for national security, Arctic surveillance, communications, and the ability to deploy or replace critical assets when they are needed.
Sarah McLean, Vice President, Corporate Affairs of Maritime Launch Services describes launch as the missing piece in Canada’s space capability:
“We have a strong and established space sector in Canada, but we cannot have a truly end-to-end space industry without domestic launch capability. From a defence and national security perspective, the ability to monitor and protect our Arctic, maintain critical space-based surveillance systems, and replace satellites when needed is essential. Without the ability to launch from Canadian soil, we remain dependent on other countries. Domestic launch capability is national infrastructure and a critical piece of achieving true Canadian sovereignty in space.”
Spaceport Nova Scotia is being built to help close that gap, giving Canada domestic access to orbit while supporting the continued growth of its commercial space and defence sectors.
This dual-use infrastructure is designed to serve both government and commercial customers, operating much like an airport for rockets. Launch vehicle companies bring the rocket, much as an airline brings an aircraft, while the spaceport provides the pad, mission services, regulatory coordination, fueling support and other infrastructure required for a safe and successful mission.
German launch vehicle company Isar Aerospace is already developing launch infrastructure at the site, connecting Nova Scotia directly to the international commercial space market. The same infrastructure can also support allied requirements. Through initiatives such as NATO Starlift, allied countries can combine launch vehicles, equipment and launch infrastructure across jurisdictions, with Spaceport Nova Scotia forming part of the capability Canada can bring to that network.
As construction advances, Maritime Launch is expanding its Nova Scotia operations. The company expects Spaceport Nova Scotia to support approximately 50 to 75 full-time positions across operations, engineering, skilled trades, maintenance, and corporate functions.
The project is also creating opportunities beyond the spaceport itself. Maritime Launch is already working with Nova Scotia engineering, construction and professional-services firms, municipal partners, and post-secondary institutions, while future launch activity could support additional businesses in areas such as security, maintenance, manufacturing, and mission services.
That growth is taking place within a broader defence ecosystem that already spans maritime, aerospace, autonomy, cyber, advanced technologies and now, space. As Canada expands its defence industrial capacity, those capabilities are becoming more interconnected, giving companies establishing or growing in Nova Scotia closer access to the talent, partners, infrastructure, and opportunities shaping Canada’s next generation of defence capability.
Invest Nova Scotia has stayed close to Maritime Launch throughout its development, connecting the company with government, industry, and prospective investors in Nova Scotia and internationally, and helping build the relationships and visibility needed to advance the project.
What began with a search across 14 North American locations is now becoming a piece of nationally significant infrastructure. From Nova Scotia, Spaceport Nova Scotia is helping give Canada a domestic path to orbit, strengthen its sovereign capability, and expand what the country can contribute to its allies.
“When you come to Nova Scotia to operate in the space and defence sector, you become part of a much larger ecosystem. We have exceptional talent, innovative companies, and a shared ambition to strengthen Canada’s defence capabilities. There is a real spirit of collaboration here, and that creates opportunities for companies to grow and succeed together.”
Sarah McLean, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Maritime Launch
Learn how Nova Scotia's aerospace and defence ecosystem can support your company's growth.
