Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
ST. LAWRENCE, N.L. — Construction has started on Canada’s first commercial spaceport, a facility where rockets can be launched into space, NordSpace Corp. announced Monday.
The new spaceport, called the Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX), is being built near the town of St. Lawrence in Newfoundland and Labrador. It will be used to launch NordSpace’s own rockets as well as rockets from other companies in the U.S. and Europe.
Phase one will cost about $10 million and include two main launch areas. One will be for larger rockets that go into orbit around the Earth, and the other will be for smaller rockets that fly on shorter missions above the atmosphere.
Because of its location, the spaceport can launch rockets on a wide range of paths into space — something not available at many other sites in North America.
NordSpace plans to launch its first commercial rocket, called Taiga, later this year, starting on Aug. 25. The launch could be delayed by local road and power problems due to a state of emergency in the province.
“This is about building a future where Canada leads in space exploration and technology,” said Rahul Goel, CEO of NordSpace. “It will help protect our country’s independence in space and create new jobs and economic opportunities.”
The spaceport will also support NordSpace’s other projects, including research on very fast aircraft and launching the company’s first satellite in 2026.
Brian Gallant, CEO of Space Canada, said having a spaceport in Canada is important for national security and to meet growing demand for space launches.
“This will help Canada protect its interests in space and join the growing global space economy,” Gallant said.
