Canadian satellite companies look forward to launching from home soil

Ottawa’s efforts to establish an ability to send people and infrastructure into space from within Canada’s borders is winning praise from domestic satellite companies — all of whom currently travel outside the country to send their products into orbit. The Liberal government introduced Bill C-28 this week, which would introduce a new regulatory framework that gives Canada "sovereign space launch capabilities.” Despite a storied history in the space industry (see: Canadarm, Jeremy Hansen, etc.), Canada is currently the only G7 country without the ability to launch from home. The Toronto-based Kepler Communications Inc. said the proposed legislation is a “positive and important step for Canada’s space ecosystem.” “We intend to procure sovereign launch capabilities,” Kepler spokesperson Crystalyn Koch told The Wire Report. “This will help address logistical challenges associated with international launches.” “It is essential that Canada’s sovereign launch capability is globally competitive so that it can meet domestic Department of National Defence (DND) requirements while also serving global launch demand.” Currently, Kepler has 33 satellites in orbit, most of which were launched from U.S. sites. In January, the company sent 10 new optical relay satellites into space via a SpaceX rocket that left from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. “If passed, this legislation will provide needed clarity for Canadian industry to establish domestic launch capability, which will reduce barriers to accessing space for Canadian companies, strengthen national sovereignty, and improve mission timelines,” added Koch. The European-based Eutelsat has also relied on American companies and facilities to launch satellites, but said it “always welcomes the prospect of new entrants into the launcher market to increase the options for access to space,” when asked about the Canadian bill. Eutelsat, which operates the low-Earth orbit (LEO) service OneWeb, has recently pursued partnerships within Canada to bring connectivity to the country’s remote and Arctic regions. TerreStar Solutions Inc. also lauded the government’s initiative, as a company spokesperson noted in an email that “demand for LEO launch far exceeds supply, with thousands of satellites expected in the coming years.” TerreStar is expected to commercially launch its LEO fleet by 2028, with the company expecting to send up as many as 150 satellites by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, Telesat Corp. emphasized that launch options around the world are currently “limited,” meaning Bill C-28 could “support resilience and flexibility for satellite operators.” But Stephen Hampton, the company’s senior director for government affairs, acknowledged that Canada’s launch capabilities are likely still years away, meaning Telesat, which has previously used launch sites in countries such as New Zealand, will likely still rely on foreign partners in the coming years. “While international launch partnerships will remain essential in the near to mid-term as capabilities are built, we would welcome the ability to launch from Canada in the future,” wrote Hampton. The Wire Report also reached out to SpaceX, which operates the Starlink satellite fleet, but did not receive a response. It remains unclear what parts of Canada could host space launch sites, though certain industry players have already started moving. The Nova Scotia-based Maritime Launch Services has already started building what it calls the country’s first commercial spaceport in the eastern part of the province. In March, the company received a $200-million injection from the federal government to help finance the project. An Ontario company called NordSpace is also constructing a facility called the Atlantic Spaceport Complex in St. Lawrence, N.L. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Canadian satellite companies look forward to launching from home soil

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By Davis Legree
|April 22, 2026

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