The ASX is owned and Operated by NordSpace and is located on the picturesque coast near St. Lawrence Newfoundland.
BBA has been contracted by NordSpace to fulfill the Range Safety Officer (RSO) duties for their first launch. David LeFrancois had the privilege of being the RSO during the week of August 25-29 for the first launch attempt of Taiga. Taiga is a 6m tall, single stage rocket propelled by a liquid engine all developed by NordSpace.
David worked closely with NordSpace and interfaced with NAV Canada and Transport Canada to ensure safe operations for the public and the team working at the launch site.
The weather forecasts were monitored closely all week and Friday August 29 was the day that met all the weather minimums specified in the launch authorization.
The morning launch attempt was scrubbed due to a stuck nitrogen quick disconnect system. This was resolved quickly and the team setup for a launch during the afternoon window. The ignition system’s misfire detection mechanism triggered prematurely and moved the rocket to a safe state just seconds before launch on August 29, 2025 at 18:43 NDT.
The team will return in several weeks to attempt another launch of Taiga which will be NordSpace’s Maiden Flight from the Atlantic Spaceport Complex.
Beyond Blue Aerospace looks forward to re-joining the team for this historical event!!
NordSpace received a launch authorization for further launch attempts September 20-27 and David returned to perform the RSO duties as authorized by Transport Canada.
Unfortunately several more mishaps occurred and the team decided to discontinue launch attempts during this window. Beyond Blue Aerospace wishes the team all the best, and looks forward to helping them get in the air on a future attempt !
The town of St. Lawrence is an amazing community and very supportive of NordSpace and the Atlantic Spaceport Complex.
à la prochaine fois !