Defence officials have advised the country’s top soldier that Canada will be able to use a new domestic launch capability to quickly put into orbit satellites to replace those destroyed by adversaries, according to an internal document.

The May 2025 briefing for Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan and then defence department deputy minister Stefanie Beck pitched the creation of a domestic space launch capability as critical to the country’s security.

Canada’s adversaries have fielded a wide range of capabilities designed to damage or destroy the space systems the country needs for its economy and security, the briefing pointed out. “This reality makes the ability to re-launch satellites quicky an important element of national resilience,” the two senior leaders were told.

The document was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through an access-to-information request.

Defence Minister David McGuinty announced on March 16 in Ottawa that the Canadian government would invest $200 million towards a Canadian-owned launch capability. The money will go towards a 10-year lease for a dedicated launch pad at a spaceport being developed near Canso, Nova Scotia. The facility is operated by Maritime Launch Services.

McGuinty’s announcement was one of a series of space-related initiatives. He announced on March 14 an agreement with Norway to increase cooperation on space. Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, was set to be in Richmond, BC on March 18 to announce a contract award related to DND’s Surveillance of Space 2 project. That project is focused on building a spacecraft that can track man-made objects in Earth’s orbit.

Canada’s new Defence Industrial Strategy also identifies the space sector as a key sovereign capability.

The briefing for Carignan and Beck pointed out that Canada is the only G7 nation without a sovereign, domestic space launch capability, or a government-backed initiative to develop one.

“Canada depends on agreements with other nations to launch assets into space, which creates delays and undermines operational flexibility,” the briefing noted.

Over the years Canada has relied on the U.S. and Russia, as well as private companies, to launch its space systems.

Pero la necesidad de una capacidad de lanzamiento espacial nacional ha sido destacada repetidamente por funcionarios militares y gubernamentales canadienses. Un paquete de información de 2009 producido por el Jefe de Desarrollo de Fuerzas militares señaló que el desarrollo de un lanzador para pequeños satélites era un área clave de enfoque para la investigación y el desarrollo futuro del DND. Pero poco se hizo en esa iniciativa.

En 2010, la Agencia Espacial Canadiense realizó un estudio sobre la posibilidad de desarrollar un lanzador para micro-satélites. Pero en 2014, el general retirado Walter Natynczyk, jefe de la agencia espacial en ese momento, expresó su oposición a cualquier proyecto de ese tipo. Dijo que la agencia se concentraría en lugar en satélites y sistemas robóticos.

En enero de 2025, el Ottawa Citizen informó sobre el DND y el interés del ejército específicamente en Maritime Launch Services.

Una información interna del DND sobre Maritime Launch Services señaló que la instalación de lanzamiento de cohetes de la empresa podría proporcionar servicios valiosos a los EE. UU. así como ayudar a Canadá a convencer a los estadounidenses de que está haciendo su parte en el frente de la seguridad.

The new capability would also help reduce Canada’s reliance on other countries for launching its own spacecraft, the briefing pointed out.

Maritime Launch Services, a Canadian firm founded in 2016, completed its first suborbital launch on July 7, 2023, and has various launches planned for this year.

A 2023 study by Deloitte consultants noted that space launch infrastructure in the U.S. is running out of capacity as public and private sector demand for access to space is accelerating faster than ever before.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 5, 2025 that U.S. government officials and industry executives feared that backed-up launch sites would restrict payloads from getting to space in a timely manner.

In 2024, there were 145 orbital launches from the U.S., five times as many as in 2017, the newspaper noted. SpaceX, a commercial firm headed by Elon Musk, conducted 134 of the launches in 2024.

China has also expanded its launch capabilities, opening up the first commercial facility to supplement government-run spaceports in 2024.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, subscribe: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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