NordSpace Launches Phase 2 at Atlantic Spaceport Complex

NordSpace has initiated Phase 2 construction at the Atlantic Spaceport Complex, marking a significant step forward in the development of Canada's largest spaceport. The new phase involves road and pad construction at SLC-01 to support medium and light lift vehicles, with plans to prepare the site for launches by 2028. This phase is a critical component of NordSpace's comprehensive program, which aims to establish a sovereign launch capability for Canada.

Phase 2 follows a recent $10 million investment in the Atlantic Spaceport Complex, a combined effort from the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency's Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and NordSpace's private capital. This investment underscores the importance of the spaceport in fostering a Canadian space economy.

The Atlantic Spaceport Complex is Canada's largest and most capable spaceport, offering a wide range of launch inclinations and the highest approved launch cadence in the country. NordSpace owns and operates the spaceport, providing full autonomy over its regulatory posture and operational tempo. This control and autonomy are essential for supporting NordSpace's plans for a high cadence of launches and constellation missions, both for its own constellations and for third-party customers.

NordSpace's first satellite, Terra Nova, is currently operating in orbit, meeting all mission objectives and testing common hardware and operations at TRL-9 across launch and space systems. The company's Tundra light-lift vehicle is nearing its first flight, awaiting final regulatory approvals. At Rocket Factory 1 (RF-1) in Markham, the Tundra is progressing with advanced manufacturing in metal additive and automated composites. At the Atlantic Spaceport Complex, the roads, pads, and systems that will host Canada's first sovereign orbital launches are being physically built.

The Atlantic Spaceport Complex is designed first and foremost to prioritize sovereign Canadian launch for NordSpace. Its scale, inclination coverage, and safety corridors make it well-suited to host additional launch partners alongside NordSpace's own flights. NordSpace is actively engaged with several launch companies looking to use ASX for their own operations, and the company's operational model is deliberately not one of gatekeeping. Instead, NordSpace assists partner operators where help is needed, while carefully managing the number of simultaneous users to avoid range conflicts.

The Atlantic Spaceport Complex is also home to NordSpace's Taiga suborbital launch vehicle, which is awaiting final regulatory approvals. Following Taiga's first flight, the program will evolve into VERTEX (Vehicle for Experimental Rocket Testing and Exploration), a NordSpace program that will allow government, academia, and industry to procure sovereign Canadian suborbital flights at a high cadence. VERTEX will serve as a dedicated platform for testing payloads, subsystems, and technologies that today have no sovereign Canadian suborbital path to space.

NordSpace is also planning to establish vertically integrated test complexes at the spaceport, including Test Complex 1 (TC-01) and Test Complex 2 (TC-02), to support full-stack vehicle testing at the same site. This "test where you fly" philosophy will provide NordSpace's launch, operations, and range teams with meaningful hands-on time with the exact infrastructure and procedures of operational flight before the first launch campaign.

NordSpace's Atlantic Spaceport Complex is the cornerstone of the company's vision for a sovereign Canadian launch capability. The company's first satellite, Terra Nova, is now operating in orbit, and the Tundra light-lift vehicle is nearing its first flight. The company's propulsion test operations at Area 66 in Eastern Ontario, headquarters and manufacturing at Rocket Factory 1 in Markham, and a policy and government relations office in Ottawa, all contribute to the company's comprehensive capabilities.

NordSpace is actively engaged in advancing the regulatory pathway for launch approvals and authorizations under Canada's new Commercial Space Launch Act, with further announcements expected in the near term. The company's policy and government relations office in Ottawa will continue to work closely with Transport Canada on this front.

NordSpace's Atlantic Spaceport Complex is designed to prioritize sovereign Canadian launch, and the scale, inclination coverage, and safety corridors of Canada's largest spaceport make it well-suited to host additional launch partners alongside NordSpace's own flights. NordSpace is actively engaged with several launch companies looking to use ASX for their own operations, and the company's operational model is deliberately not one of gatekeeping. Instead, NordSpace assists partner operators where help is needed, while carefully managing the number of simultaneous users to avoid range conflicts.

NordSpace's Atlantic Spaceport Complex is the cornerstone of the company's vision for a sovereign Canadian launch capability. The company's first satellite, Terra Nova, is now operating in orbit, and the Tundra light-lift vehicle is nearing its first flight. The company's propulsion test operations at Area 66 in Eastern Ontario, headquarters and manufacturing at Rocket Factory 1 in Markham, and a policy and government relations office in Ottawa, all contribute to the company's comprehensive capabilities.