NordSpace Launches NordSpace Ventures, Strategic Investment in Wyvern to Accelerate Canadian Sovereign Space Capability
Press Release
NordSpace’s new venture capital division takes strategic stake in Edmonton-based hyperspectral imaging leader Wyvern as one of its first portfolio investments
NordSpace Ventures exists because Canadian sovereignty requires Canadian capital. We’re not just building rockets, we’re building ecosystems that will ensure Canada controls its own future in space.”— Rahul Goel, CEO
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, February 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — NordSpace Corp. announced today the public launch of NordSpace Ventures, the company’s venture capital and strategic investment division focused on Canadian space, defence, and dual-use technology companies. As one of its first portfolio investments, NordSpace has made a strategic investment in Wyvern, the Edmonton, Alberta-based space data company operating the world’s highest resolution commercial hyperspectral imaging constellation.
NordSpace Ventures represents a new model for the Canadian space industry, one in which a vertically integrated launch and space systems company also invests directly in the strategic partners and mission-critical technology providers that together form the backbone of a sovereign Canadian space ecosystem. The division will make targeted investments primarily in Canadian companies whose capabilities align with NordSpace’s end-to-end vision: launching Canadian payloads on Canadian rockets from Canadian soil, and eventually bringing that bundled capability to new spacefaring allied nations.
“For too long, Canada’s most promising space and defence companies have had to look outside our borders for capital, customers, and credibility,” said Rahul Goel, Founder and CEO of NordSpace. “NordSpace Ventures changes that equation. We are putting Canadian capital to work in Canadian companies building critical capabilities for our national security and economic future. This is about more than financial returns. It is about ensuring that the technologies Canada needs for true sovereignty are developed, owned, and scaled here at home.”
NordSpace Ventures draws on the company’s unique position as Canada’s only end-to-end space missions company to offer portfolio companies far more than investment. Companies in the portfolio gain access to NordSpace’s growing advanced manufacturing and space systems testing facilities at its Advanced Manufacturing for Aerospace Lab (AMA Lab) and Space Systems Lab (SSL); open-air propulsion and robotics testing at the company’s Canadian Space Research Range (CSRR); and launch services from the Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Ground station operations through partners such as C-CORE, space domain awareness capabilities via LeoLabs, and NordSpace’s extensive network across Canadian government, defence, and allied institutions are also what NordSpace Ventures aims to bring to portfolio companies.
This approach ensures that private sector capital works in concert with historic public investment. This includes Canada’s Budget 2025 $182.6 million to establish a sovereign space launch capability, the Department of National Defence’s $105 million “Launch the North” IDEaS challenge, and the Canadian Space Agency’s continued funding of space technologies to build a resilient, competitive Canadian space industrial base.
“Canada remains the only G7 nation without sovereign access to space,” added Goel. “The federal government has recognized this gap and is taking historic steps to close it. NordSpace Ventures is the private sector complement to that public commitment.”
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Edmonton, Wyvern operates the Dragonette constellation, currently the only commercial constellation delivering 5.3-metre resolution hyperspectral imagery from low Earth orbit. Wyvern’s sensors capture data across up to 31 spectral bands, revealing chemical and material properties of the Earth’s surface that are invisible to conventional satellites. The company serves customers across defence, agriculture, forestry, mining, energy, and environmental monitoring on every continent. Wyvern also has its next generation constellation, Rosette, under rapid development enabling high resolution and precision hyperspectral capabilities extending into the shortwave infrared (SWIR) region.
“Wyvern is building something that Canada, and the world, urgently needs,” said Goel. “Hyperspectral imagery is a fundamental capability for understanding what is happening on and beneath the Earth’s surface, from detecting methane leaks and monitoring wildfire damage to identifying threats in military environments. For a country with the second largest landmass on Earth, vast Arctic territories, and enormous natural resources, this data is not optional, it is essential.”
“Hyperspectral is the missing piece of Canada’s intelligence picture. Our satellites see what conventional sensors can’t, from identifying threats in contested environments to monitoring port activity and protecting critical infrastructure from wildfire.” said Chris Robson, Co-Founder and CEO of Wyvern.
The investment aligns two deeply complementary Canadian companies. NordSpace is building the sovereign launch infrastructure and satellite systems to place and operate assets in orbit, while Wyvern is developing the sensing capabilities that give those assets purpose. As NordSpace progresses toward operational orbital launch from the ASX and develops its own satellite systems including the Terra Nova dual-use demonstration satellite launching in 2026, the company envisions a future where Canadian-built constellations carrying payloads like Wyvern’s hyperspectral sensors launch on NordSpace rockets from Canadian soil.
“We are thrilled to have NordSpace as a strategic investor and partner,” said Chris, “NordSpace’s vision for a fully sovereign Canadian space ecosystem aligns perfectly with what we are building at Wyvern. Their investment is a strong signal that Canadian companies are stepping up to support one another, and that the infrastructure to launch, operate, and scale Canadian space missions is being built right here at home.”
“The vision has always been end-to-end,” said Goel. “Canadian payloads on Canadian rockets from Canadian soil. Wyvern’s hyperspectral capabilities are exactly the kind of made-in-Canada technology that should one day fly on a made-in-Canada rocket, launched from a made-in-Canada spaceport, serving Canadian and allied needs. That is what true sovereignty looks like.”
NordSpace Ventures has been actively investing over the past year and will announce additional portfolio companies in the months ahead, each strategically aligned with Canada’s sovereign space and defence ecosystem. “Every company in the NordSpace Ventures portfolio was selected because they are solving a problem that Canada cannot afford to depend on others to solve,” said Goel. “We look forward to introducing these incredible Canadian companies in the weeks and months to come.”
NordSpace will present their capabilities among several other Canadian institutions at the Canadian Space Launch Conference on May 5, 2026 in Ottawa.
About Wyvern
Wyvern, an Edmonton-based space data company, is revolutionizing Earth observation with cutting-edge hyperspectral imagery. Their Dragonette constellation delivers the highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral data from space, powering mission-critical applications in defence, wildfire prevention, environmental monitoring, and resource management. By revealing the unseen chemical and material signatures of our planet, Wyvern enables decision-makers to act faster, smarter, and more sustainably: creating a Better Earth, From Space. Learn more at wyvern.space
About NordSpace
NordSpace, established in 2022, develops vertically integrated solutions for responsive orbital launch vehicles, spaceports, turn-key satellites, and mission-critical systems. 100% designed, built, and flown in Canada. NordSpace is building Canada’s first commercial orbital launch vehicle (Tundra), operating the Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX) in Newfoundland and Labrador, and developing dual-use satellite, propulsion, hypersonic, and advanced manufacturing capabilities. For more information, visit nordspace.com.
About NordSpace Ventures
NordSpace Ventures is the venture capital and strategic investment division of NordSpace Corp., combining capital investment with access to NordSpace’s end-to-end space infrastructure to accelerate the growth of Canada’s sovereign space industrial base.
Great news! Sovereign all the way!