German rocket builder Isar Aerospace has signed an agreement with Maritime Launch Services to conduct launches from the company’s planned spaceport in Nova Scotia. Isar Aerospace is currently working toward the second flight of its Spectrum rocket from Norway after an April attempt was scrubbed due to a leak in a composite overwrapped pressure vessel.
Isar Aerospace announced on 26 May that it had signed a letter of intent confirming its intention to conduct launches from the Canadian spaceport. According to the company, the agreement will allow it to “expand its launch services to cover mid- to high-inclination orbits for both commercial and government clients.”
Its agreement with Maritime Launch Services comes a week after it was revealed that Isar Aerospace had partnered with German maritime defence company TKMS to establish a sovereign Canadian launch capability, an initiative TKMS hopes will strengthen its bid to supply the country with 12 new submarines. As part of the agreement, the two parties committed to “significant investment” in building a Canadian launch complex, with the announcement appearing to indicate that the facility being developed by Maritime Launch Services will be the intended beneficiary.
Despite the apparent overlap between the agreements, an Isar Aerospace spokesperson told European Spaceflight that the two were separate.
Before it can begin launch operations from Canada, Isar Aerospace will need to demonstrate that its two-stage Spectrum rocket can successfully reach orbit from its existing launch facility in Norway.
To date, the company has launched Spectrum just once, in March 2025, with the flight ending in failure less than thirty seconds after liftoff. The company returned to the launchpad before the end of last year and got within seconds of liftoff on 25 March 2026 before an unauthorized vessel entered the designated danger zone. A new launch attempt targeted for 9 April was also scrubbed after the company discovered a leak in a composite overwrapped pressure vessel, which stores high-pressure gas to pressurize propellant tanks and actuate valves.
While the company has not shared any details about when it intends to make its next attempt at the second flight of its Spectrum rocket since the 9 April scrub, an Isar Aerospace spokesperson told European Spaceflight that an update on the mission’s status would be shared “soon.”
Keep European Spaceflight Independent
Your donation will help European Spaceflight to continue digging into the stories others miss. Every euro keeps our reporting alive.
