Space startup led by a PhD candidate prepares to launch the first Canadian commercial rocket

NordSpace, founded by PhD candidate Rahul Goel, is preparing the Taiga suborbital flight that would be the first Canadian commercial rocket launched from a Canadian commercial spaceport; an earlier attempt was postponed in September over a cryogenic propellant technical issue.

NordSpace is preparing to launch its Taiga suborbital rocket from a commercial spaceport in Newfoundland. If successful, the flight would be the first Canadian commercial rocket launched from a Canadian commercial spaceport. The company delayed an earlier attempt in September after a technical issue with the rocket's cryogenic propellants. NordSpace was founded in 2022 by Rahul Goel, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies, and the team is working on additional rockets and satellite projects. Key facts: - NordSpace was founded in 2022 by Rahul Goel, who is pursuing a PhD at the University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies. - The Taiga vehicle is a suborbital rocket; its upcoming flight would be the first Canadian commercial rocket launch from a Canadian commercial spaceport if it succeeds. - An earlier launch attempt was postponed in September due to a technical challenge involving cryogenic propellants. - NordSpace is also developing larger orbital vehicles called Tundra and Titan and plans to launch its first satellite, Terra-Nova, in June to test its satellite systems. - The Terra-Nova mission is intended to test the Athena satellite bus, the Zephyr-EP propulsion system, and the Chronos edge-AI camera, and the company says it is building a Canadian spaceport and an end-to-end missions capability. Summary: NordSpace frames the Taiga launch as a step toward a sovereign Canadian launch capability and says lessons from the postponed attempt informed further work on its vehicles. The company is also preparing a Terra-Nova satellite mission in June to test onboard systems while continuing development of larger rockets and a domestic spaceport. Undetermined at this time.