October 21, 2026 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Canada is taking bold actions to strengthen its sovereign space capabilities and invest in the development of a strong, competitive Canadian space sector.
Today in Ottawa, the Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, announced a 10-year, $20-million spaceport agreement has been signed with NordSpace to access the Atlantic Spaceport Complex in Newfoundland and Labrador, alongside other major new space-related capabilities and initiatives, bringing the total value of space-related contracts, grants and contributions announced this year to more than $3 billion.
Expansion of sovereign launch program
Sovereign access to space is increasingly essential to national security, economic competitiveness and the reliable delivery of critical space-based services.
The agreement with NordSpace, in addition to the 10-year agreement with Maritime Launch Services announced in March 2026, will provide the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and its partners access to conduct launches and research and development activities.
Canadian-owned satellite telecommunications system
The Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program’s Gateway to the Stars challenge is investing $17.9 million in projects to improve satellite connectivity. Through this challenge, Minister McGuinty announced that Canada is awarding a $4.7 million contract to Kepler Communications to develop optical inter-satellite communication networks to improve the speed and resilience of space-based communications, particularly in Canada’s Arctic and other remote regions, supporting future CAF operations. Collectively, this work will also support objectives under the Northern Wide-Area Tracking and Continuous Horizon (NORTHWATCH) program by enhancing Canada’s surveillance and threat detection capabilities across the Arctic.
The contract is for a two-year period with the aim to develop and test laser-based communication links that allow satellites to exchange data directly, enabling faster and more reliable space-based networks. The project will support the development and testing of this technology.
NATO STARLIFT membership
Minister McGuinty announced that as part of its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Canada has joined the NATO STARLIFT initiative as a full member. STARLIFT is a NATO High Visibility Project that aims to develop a more resilient, responsive and cost-effective network of space launch capabilities, enabling Allies to launch assets at short notice from spaceports across the Alliance.
Developing Canada’s skilled space sector workforce
As Canada’s space capabilities continue to grow, we are investing in the people that will support Canada’s space sector. To meet the demands of modern space operations, the CAF is establishing a dedicated Space Mission Operator occupation which will enable the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to attract, train, and retain highly skilled personnel.
Recent Government of Canada investments are increasing demand for engineers, scientists, technicians, software developers and advanced manufacturing specialists across the country and are expected to support approximately 3,000 jobs annually.
To meet this growing demand for talent, the Department of National Defence (DND) is investing $1.2M over 2 years in the next generation of Canadian space professionals through Launch Canada and the IDEaS Space Rocketry Talent Development Initiative. Through student-led projects, competitions, hands-on training and early-stage research, the initiative is developing the highly qualified personnel needed to support Canada’s future space workforce. By connecting students and emerging professionals with real-world aerospace and space projects, this investment will build a talent pipeline for Canadian organizations working across satellite communications, Earth observation, launch systems, space surveillance and other advanced space technologies.
Quotes
“Behind many of Canada’s achievements in space are the companies, researchers and innovators driving our space sector forward. Canada has the talent, technology and ambition to remain a leader in space. As we strengthen our defence capabilities, we’ll create new opportunities for Canadian industry and help shape the future of Canada’s space sector.”
The Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence
“Space is a strategic national asset, and a strong Canadian space sector is essential to our sovereignty, security, and economic strength. By investing in Canadian innovation, strengthening our sovereign access to space, and advancing communications capabilities in the Arctic, we are building the expertise and capacity Canada needs to compete and lead in the global space economy. These investments will create good jobs, grow Canadian businesses, and build a stronger, more secure Canada.”
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
“Space is essential to how the Canadian Armed Forces operates, from communicating across vast distances to maintaining awareness of threats to Canada and its allies. These investments represent an important step toward strengthening our ability to access, operate in and protect our interests in an increasingly contested space domain. By advancing sovereign launch capabilities, strengthening Allied cooperation and developing a dedicated workforce of space professionals, we are building the foundation for a more capable, resilient and operationally ready Canadian Armed Forces.”
Brigadier-General Christopher Horner, Commander, 3 Canadian Space Division and Joint Force Space Component Commander
“Canada’s North is strategically vital, yet remains underserved by traditional connectivity infrastructure. Kepler’s optical data relay network is designed to move mission data quickly and reliably, providing the Canadian Armed Forces with more persistent access to timely intelligence and shortening decision timelines. This project will demonstrate how Canadian-built space infrastructure can strengthen security across the Arctic and support the evolving operational needs of the Canadian Armed Forces.”
Mina Mitry, CEO and Co-Founder, Kepler
“Canada cannot afford to be left behind in the global race to space. As Canada strengthens its sovereign space capabilities, Atlantic Canada continues to play a key role in building the infrastructure, innovation and expertise needed to compete in a rapidly growing global industry. Investments in Newfoundland and Labrador are helping position Canada to launch from Canadian soil, strengthen our security and sovereignty, and create highly skilled jobs and economic opportunities for the future.”
The Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., K.C., Member of Parliament for Central Nova, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
“A sovereign spacefaring Canada needs the ability to launch a payload into orbit on its own schedule, from its own soil, on its own rocket when national security demands it. That capability is only possible if a Canadian company vertically integrates the full stack from launch vehicle to launch pad, as we are at NordSpace. We are grateful for this agreement with the Department of National Defence, and are proud to be of service to ensure that there will be a Canadian-made rocket on a Canadian-owned launch pad with a Canadian-made spacecraft bus waiting, when our Armed Forces need it.”
Rahul Goel, Founder and CEO, NordSpace Corporation
Quick facts
Reliable and independent launch access will enable Canada to place critical satellites into orbit even during global uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, or disruptions in foreign launch markets. With military, emergency response, and government services increasingly dependent on space-based systems, sovereign launch protects national interests and enables continuity of operations.
Budget 2025 announced an investment of $182.6M over the next three years to establish a sovereign launch program. That program includes capability development, led by DND’s Defence Research and Development Canada, and launch infrastructure, led by the RCAF and supported by DND’s Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment).
The announcement supports strategic coherence to increased defence investment to equip the CAF with what it needs to defend Canada, protect our sovereignty, and meet current and future threats.
Noah Note: So a healthy string of announcements here, better than I expected in some regards, even if things like Starlift aren't new (infact it was first brought up almost a year ago) and some areas are more restatement of facts.
Most significantly here in the contracts awarded to bith Nordspace and Kepler, both of whom have been working hard the last year to really start solidifying tbemselves. The DND has been notable in their concerns for capacity, so locking in another dedicated launchpad separate from their pad at MLS isn't a surprise.
It is both redundency in the system in case something happens at either launchpad, supporting both spaceports with a dedicated client on site, and at the end of the day ensuring there is capacity in the system in the event of a conflict, where launch capacity will be undoubtedly strained by the need to keep up with adverserial targeting of our space-based infrastructure.
That last one is important in this context, as we recognize that Canada will be strained to find additional capacity outside our own own territory. Our allies themselves, across the spectrum, are facing the issue of constraint in their dedicated launch capacity.
Recognizing that Canada would be at the bottom of any list for replacement of our own sovereign constellations, which will undoubtedly come under attack in a conflict, is how we came to this moment, how Launch the North found a backer in the first place. Capacity across the board will continue to be strained for the medium and likely long-term as it comes to Canada, and that puts us in a hard spot.
Kepler is also a great sight to see here. Their first trache of 10 satellites for the Kepler Network, which is already providing real-time, high-speed optical data relay to commercial operators, was launched back in January. It will soon be joined by a Trache 2, which launches 2028, that aims to achieve over 95% coverage in LEO while providing backwards-compatible 100-gigabit optical capability.
This also builds off a previous $7 Million investment from earlier this year, as well as their new collaboration agreement with NorthStar. I do like how the NORTHWATCH Initative got a good nod here, as the ability to relay data quickly and at the speeds to rapidly make decisions, especially data coming from the Arctic, is an existing challenge.
While the RCAF does have plans through AVEDLEK, space C2 facilities and space-based data processing centres, these projects are on the far timeline horizon, and in themselves do lack a bit of redundancy if targetted or if something were to happen. Leveraging assets like the Kepler Network, which can provide a backend processing capability in the meantime and between existing constellations, is not only an amazing complement, but fills a gap wr are likely to have into the late 2030s/2040s as it comes to space processing and data management.
Kepler is already establishing the foundation of the concept through their ingoing collaboration with DRDC, so this is the natural evolution of the concept in my books. I also love how the dedicated space trade FINALLY got a mention.
That thing has been in the plans well over a year, and I felt like it was just not really discussed much? It's very much needed as 3 CSD looks to rapidly expand over the next decade. Having a dedicated trade not only allows the CAF the ability to build a priper talent pathway for space-related activities but it also gives 3 CSD some sort of dedicated trade it can call it's own, which is sorely needed.
Funny thing, if the plans go to how folks want 3 CSD eill actually be bigger in personnel and activity that the CSA. Whether that is a show of good for 3 CSD or whether that’s a sign of depression for CSA? I will leave that to all of you.