Currently, when Canada wants to launch rockets, they have to ship them all the way down to a spaceport in Virginia first. But by the end of the year, Canada should have a much simpler launch process when they build their own spaceport.
Maritime Launch Services, a Canadian space transport company, has announced they will start building a spaceport in the town of Canso, on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. The company will begin construction sometime next year, and the spaceport is expected to be completed in 2022. Once completed, the Canso spaceport will become Canada's first commercial spaceport, as well as its only operating one.
Many locations in North America were considered for the spaceport, but MLS and its partners decided on Nova Scotia due to a number of factors. The spaceport's location on the east coast means flight paths are mostly over water, while the low population of the surrounding area means frequent launches won't be an inconvenience to large numbers of people. The spaceport's position also means it will be able to launch rockets into polar and sun-synchronous orbits, which is useful for many weather and communication satellites.
At the Canso launch site, MLS will launch Cyclone 4 rockets made by Ukrainian rocket company Yuzhnoye. The Cyclone 4 has been in development since 2002, but due to a series of production delays has not yet been completed. Once the Canso facility is constructed, the Cyclone 4 rocket may finally be tested and launched.
