Canada is spending $200M on a launch pad in Nova Scotia to send our own satellites into space

Canada currently relies on the U.S. to launch satellites into orbit.

Rocket on a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.

Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where most Canadian space projects currently launch from.

Kenneth Hartlein | Dreamstime

Writer

The federal government is putting $200 million toward a Canadian-owned launch pad to send satellites into orbit.

Ottawa will use the funds over the next decade to lease a space launch pad near Canso, Nova Scotia, which will serve as the foundation for a future spaceport.

Defence Minister David McGuinty announced the project today at a Canadian Space Agency lab in the nation's capital.

Canada does not currently have the ability to launch space projects on its own and has relied on the United States to get its satellites into space.

The initiative is part of the Liberal government's new strategy to build up the domestic defence industry.

The 2025 budget earmarked $183 million over the next three years for establishing sovereign space launch capabilities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

Canada is spending $200M on a launch pad in Nova Scotia to send our own satellites into space

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