On April 29th, 2025 the inaugural Canadian Space Launch Conference was held in Ottawa at the Canadian Aviation & Space Museum.
The conference brought together industry, government, academia, and not-for-profits to explore the impact sovereign launch capabilities will have on Canada. The day was inspirational and packed with exciting conversations on and off the front stage. Here are some highlights from the day:
Opening Keynote by Christopher Horner Commander of the 3 Canadian Space Division.
A panel discussion with Mina Mitry, David Beck and Glenn Cowan on How Domestic Access to Space Will Redefine Canadian Defence, Security and Sovereignty.
Then another panel discussion on Making Commercial Space Launch a Priority, A Conversation on Policy, Regulations and Vision with Alex MacDonald, Adam Trumpour, and Andrea Harrington.
Neil Woodcock provided an overview of his paper on The Need For Canadian Sovereign Space Launch.
Andrew Ronan discussed RocketLab and New Zealand’s Early Days Developing Commercial Space Launch, and Lessons for Canada.
Our host, Rahul Goel, updated us on NordSpace’s Vision for Canada’s Future in Space and talked about Launchers, Spaceports and Satellites.
A panel consisting of Jared Bell, Trevin Stratton, and Natasha Gagnon discussed Capturing the Whole Value Chain – The Economic and Industrial Impacts of Sovereign Launch for Canada.
Doug Milburn gave an inspiring talk on Canada’s Aerospace Manufacturing Advantage – Making the Impossible, Possible.
Kerri Henry from Transport Canada provides us with an overview of the Commercial Space Launch application process.
Melissa Quinn gave us insight into Spaceport Cornwall and the European Launch Industry, along with Takeaways for Canadian Government and Industry from Across the Pond.
The Exponential Impact of Domestic Space Access on Canada’s Commercial Space Industry was discussed with the panel of Kiernan McClelland, Mark Robbins, and Arad Gharagozli.
Adam Trumpour, Bruno Geoffrion, and Oleg Khalimonov led a discussion on How to Build a Canadian Launch Industry – Perspectives from Students and Startups.
Brian Gallant provided the Closing Keynote which was then followed by a reception in the museum.
The conference was an amazing success and a huge thankyou to the NordSpace team for organizing this and to all the speakers for sharing their insight with all of us!
Here are some photos of the museum. If you haven’t visited the Canadian Aviation & Space Museum, I highly recommend it.
Let’s Launch the North !