Launch the North is a Canadian government initiative designed to accelerate Canada’s sovereign access to space. The official website is here, and here’s an article on SpaceQ that provides an overview.
I wanted to know who the front runners are on getting the grants, the application document states, “Up to 3 winners will be selected, with the total prize pool of $25 million divided equally among them.”
A list of rocketry clubs in Canada, the list was generated by Gemini Ai and also cross referenced with participating teams at the 2025 Launch Canada Challenge. The description of Launch Canada is below.
The following summaries and transcripts were created with NotebookLM from the following video which was streamed live on September 23rd during the Nordspace launch attempt. The launch didn’t proceed due to “A pad anomaly has caused residual vaporized fuel to cause a minor pad fire.” This was later qualified, “the root cause has been discovered to be related to our propellant quality slightly differing between vehicle tests at our test facility in Ontario, compared to our first launch test in Newfoundland and Labrador at our spaceport.”
We produced three summaries from the interviews with Hubert Fortier, David Diaz and Lakshmanan Velappan. We also appended below the raw transcripts created by Ai which may contain some spelling errors. If there are factual errors in the summaries, contact me at editor@nanographene.org
I thought it would be interesting to query Ai on the process that NordSpace would have to follow in Canada to get a launch license. This is the information it returned, if I get further updates and corrections I’ll note them here.
[update on X from Rahul Goel, CEO of Nordspace: Mostly right. Reality is far more challenging. E.g. the regulations set a hard limit on wind speeds not exceeding 30 km/h. Makes senses for small rockets or solid motors, but our vehicles can handle far greater speeds and trickier scenarios. Forces us to keep scrubbing launches.]
What process does NordSpace have to follow to get a launch license?
The Starship program, developed by SpaceX, is a fully reusable, super heavy-lift launch vehicle designed for crew and cargo missions to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Here’s a concise overview:
Overview
The following information is presented below, a briefing document generated by NotebookLM (with some manual edits), the original YouTube video, and the transcript generated by YouTube. The purpose is to have a more permanent record of the presentation that is search engine discoverable for future reference and ease of access. Since Ai does not phonetically interpret everything 100% correctly, view the video if in doubt about the veracity of a statement.
This briefing document summarises key themes and facts from the “NordSpace – BetaKit Talk – Building Canada into a Spacefaring Nation” source, providing insights into NordSpace’s mission, current challenges, and proposed solutions for Canada’s space industry.
MDA Space Ltd. (TSX:MDA) today announced that it has been awarded two contracts to equip the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)’s Halifax-class ships with up to six new Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS). Part of the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (ISTAR UAS) project, these new systems will significantly enhance the RCN’s ability to detect and monitor potential maritime threats, both at home and abroad.
NordSpace, a pioneering Canadian space company, is revolutionizing rocket manufacturing by using 3D printing to build its Hadfield engine series. Designed to power the Taiga suborbital and Tundra orbital launch vehicles, the Hadfield engines are a testament to innovation, sustainability, and efficiency. Here’s how NordSpace leverages additive manufacturing to create these cutting-edge rocket engines.
The Taiga rocket is a suborbital, liquid-fueled rocket being developed by NordSpace, a Canadian space technology company. It’s designed as a stepping stone to NordSpace’s larger Tundra orbital rocket, and its initial launches will demonstrate its capabilities for reaching the Karman line, the boundary of space. The Taiga rocket is a key part of NordSpace’s plan to establish Canada’s first commercial space launch capability.