In the rugged coastal landscape of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador, a small Canadian startup is making waves in the global space industry. NordSpace, a Toronto-based company founded just three years ago, recently attempted to etch its name into history with the launch of its Taiga sub-orbital rocket – the first fully commercial rocket launch from Canadian soil. the campaign, spanning late September 2025, was marked by a series of technical hurdles and scrubs, culminating in a postponement announced on September 25. Despite the delays, the effort underscores Canada’s growing role in sovereign space access and highlights the relentless challenges of rocketry.
A Bold Vision for Canadian Space
NordSpace was established in October 2022 by CEO Rahul Sood, with a mission to build an end-to-end space ecosystem entirely within Canada. The company develops orbital-class launch vehicles, spaceports, and satellites, all designed, built, and operated domestically. Their flagship project, the Taiga rocket, is a sub-orbital test vehicle powered by in-house 3D-printed Hadfield engines – named in honor of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. Fueled by kerosene and liquid oxygen, Taiga is intended as a stepping stone to more advanced systems, including the upcoming Tundra orbital vehicle capable of delivering payloads to low Earth orbit (LEO).
The launch site, the Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX) in St. Lawrence on Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula, represents a strategic choice. Its remote location offers clear trajectories over the Atlantic Ocean, minimizing risks to populated areas. NordSpace has invested heavily in infrastructure here, including temporary setups for propellant handling and plans for permanent facilities like on-site manufacturing, weather stations, and mission control. This push aligns with broader national goals: Canada lags behind other G7 nations in independent space launch capabilities, and NordSpace aims to bridge that gap, enhancing sovereignty, prosperity, and security through assured access to space.
In just three years, NordSpace has grown to nearly 25 employees, established an engine test facility in Ontario, and secured revenue through satellite projects and a venture fund for Canadian space startups. Upcoming milestones include launching their Terra-Nova satellite in June 2026 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-17 mission for AI-driven wildfire prediction, quadrupling manufacturing capacity, and announcing a lunar mission.
The September 2025 Campaign: A Timeline of Trials
NordSpace received launch authorization for a window from September 20 to 27, 2025, following an earlier aborted campaign in late August due to ignition issues. The team arrived at the ASX site over the weekend, conducting preparations under favorable weather conditions. By September 18, all systems were declared nominal, with a minor upgrade to a cryogenic valve doubling propellant fill speed.
The first major attempt came on September 23. Launch crews targeted a window between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. NDT, but the effort was halted when a fishing vessel entered the exclusion zone – a common hazard in maritime-heavy regions like Newfoundland. A subsequent try that day encountered a pad anomaly, resulting in smoke and fire near the rocket’s base about 30 seconds before liftoff. The fire was quickly contained, with no damage to the vehicle or personnel, thanks to robust safety systems.
Undeterred, NordSpace rescheduled for September 24. Favorable conditions allowed propellant loading, but residual vaporized fuel ignited a minor pad fire during countdown. Again, the team confirmed the rocket, pad, and crew were safe, but the window closed without liftoff. September 25 was set as a backup.
On September 25, around 8 a.m. NDT, NordSpace announced a full postponement after a 15-hour review revealed the root cause: discrepancies in propellant quality between tests at their Ontario facility and the Newfoundland site, leading to a fuel-rich mixture. With manufacturing primarily in Ontario, on-site fixes were impractical using temporary infrastructure. The company emphasized that all systems performed nominally otherwise, and safety protocols held firm.
Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead
These scrubs, while disappointing, are par for the course in spaceflight. As NordSpace noted in their update, “Space is tough, but we are tougher.” The campaign treated the sub-orbital test like an orbital mission to identify procedural challenges early, yielding valuable data on operations, regulations, and stakeholder coordination. No injuries occurred, and the incidents – described as minor fires from excess propellant – did not compromise the rocket or pad significantly.
NordSpace plans to return to the pad soon, with a new launch date expected in the coming weeks. Looking further, the company is advancing its orbital program, emphasizing responsive and reusable launches. As CEO Sood reflected, “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” This resilience could propel Canada toward becoming a true spacefaring nation, one launch attempt at a time.
