Canada signs $20-million spaceport agreement and joins NATO lift initiative
National Defence has announced a 10-year agreement with NordSpace and new steps tied to military and sovereign space capability.
Canada has signed a 10-year, $20-million agreement with NordSpace for use of the Atlantic Spaceport Complex as part of a broader package of sovereign space initiatives announced by National Defence.
The Department of National Defence release, published October 21, 2026, says the government has also joined NATO’s STARLIFT initiative and established Space Mission Operator as a Canadian Armed Forces occupation.
National Defence also announced a $17.9-million Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security challenge focused on space technologies. That amount includes a $4.7-million contract with Kepler Communications for optical inter-satellite communications work.
The announcements concern agreements, research and organizational capacity. They should not be read as confirmation that a specific launch has taken place or that all proposed capabilities are operational.
Illustrative stock image: Jay Wedgeworth / Unsplash, under the Unsplash Licence. The image is illustrative and does not depict NordSpace’s Atlantic Spaceport Complex or a Canadian launch.
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