Maritime Launch Services Ltd. (“MLS” or the “Company”), owner of Canada’s first commercial spaceport, is pleased to announce that it has selected a number of Nova Scotian firms to advance design and preparations for construction of the launch complex located near Canso, Nova Scotia.
“We have selected a number of local firms across Nova Scotia to support Maritime Launch in building a state-of-the-art, world-class launch complex,” said Stephen Matier, President and CEO of MLS. “With initial financing in hand, we have begun hiring members of our executive leadership team and we are accelerating work so we can break ground on construction of the complex in the fall.” The preparation efforts include work for Strum Consulting, Stantec, Lloyd’s Register, Nova Construction, Lindsay Construction Management, St. Francis Xavier University, and others.
Following a competitive bid, Maritime Launch is pleased to announce that Stantec, a global firm with offices in Nova Scotia, has been selected as the firm to lead the spaceport facility design team. This follows on the services Stantec has already been providing as one of our Environmental Services consultants. “Stantec is pleased to be selected as lead design consultant for Canada’s first commercial spaceport, and to act as Environmental Services Consultant for Maritime Launch Services on this state-of-the-art project,” said Lee Jamieson, Stantec’s Senior Vice President, Environmental Services Canada. “Our experienced team of practitioners in Atlantic Canada will help navigate the environmental compliance process while designing the infrastructure and utilities for this complex and unique project in our community.”
Nova Construction, located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, will partner with MLS on the road building and civil construction associated with the site. “Nova Construction is pleased to be selected to lead the road construction. We take pride in hiring local and utilizing community materials and resources from small businesses within the surrounding communities,” says Donald Chisholm, President of Nova Construction. “Nova Construction is ready to get to work on this important project. Over the years, we have built more than 500 miles of highway across the Atlantic provinces and we are known for our attention to detail, innovation, and environmental stewardship.”
The Applied Technology Group at Lloyd’s Register is performing launch operations air emissions modeling, and MLS is contracting St. Francis Xavier University’s FluxLab, led by Dr. David Risk, to implement the air monitoring program for the spaceport. StFX FluxLab is the largest and most intensive gas and emissions measurement group in Canada. They develop instrumentation and algorithms for gas measurement, conduct gas measurement studies, work closely with industry, and train upcoming generations of young scientists.
“Hiring local and utilizing capabilities and resources within Nova Scotia is a priority for Maritime Launch. In the coming months, we will host an Industry Day in coordination with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough to brief the community on job opportunities and the plans for construction and design of the facility. Our construction partners will need to hire extensively for site construction,” said Mr. Matier. “Today’s news is just the beginning.”
About Maritime Launch Services
Maritime Launch is a Canadian-owned commercial aerospace company based in Nova Scotia that has been executing a plan to establish a commercially controlled, commercially managed launch site that would provide rocket launch services to clients in support of the growing commercial space transportation industry over a wide range of inclinations. The development of this facility will allow the Cyclone 4M and other prospective launch vehicles to place satellites into low-earth orbit, building to a launch tempo of eight-to-ten launches per year. This will be the first commercial orbital launch complex in Canada.
Maritime Launch’s supplier, Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash, are the developers of the Cyclone 4M rocket and are proven leaders in the aerospace industry with over 65 years of experience. This expertise was most recently demonstrated with the successful Arianespace Vega launch on April 28, 2021 and the Northrop Grumman Antares launch on February 20, 2021. Both launch vehicles deploy significant Ukrainian technology; the 4th stage propulsion system and the first stage core, respectively.
