{"id":22808,"date":"2026-10-08T07:33:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T07:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=22808"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:33:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T07:33:38","slug":"the-infrastructure-behind-canadas-push-to-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=22808","title":{"rendered":"The infrastructure behind Canada\u2019s push to orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two weeks before Toronto-based Canada Rocket Company (CRC) announced its new large-scale static rocket engine test facility on land leased from the Greater London International Airport Authority, the 50-acre plot was just a cornfield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s also a snapshot of the pace CEO Hugh Kolias has set for the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Six and a half years to put a medium-lift launch vehicle into orbit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Going from a cornfield to orbit in such a tight timeframe is a pretty big bet, considering how long it\u2019ll be until you know it\u2019s going to pay off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSpeed is everything,\u201d says Kolias, who is working backward from that launch target to secure capital and build infrastructure on schedule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CRC could\u2019ve started with a small rocket. Kolias says developing one would take six to eight years, followed by another six to eight years to build the medium-lift vehicle it ultimately wants to fly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since larger rockets require different infrastructure and architecture, and can also require different material choices, much of what they would learn building the smaller one wouldn\u2019t necessarily translate, he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So they\u2019re going big, trying to keep the engineering choices around it as familiar as possible, deliberately using technology that has already been tried, tested, and put into production.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur innovation is being uninnovative,\u201d says Kolias.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company\u2019s E-1 engine runs on methalox, a methane-and-liquid-oxygen fuel combination already used on rockets elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe key is to get to orbit as quickly as possible,\u201d he explained. \u201cTake very pragmatic engineering decisions, and that is the fastest way for Canada to get this capability. And then we can iterate and expand on the program once we\u2019re consistently reaching orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can\u2019t put the cart before the horse, and you definitely can\u2019t put the rocket into space before you have reliable access to launch capabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why not have our own?<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-part-that-has-to-work-first\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The part that has to work first<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s still a big, no-skip step.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the vehicle can be launched into orbit, its engines have to prove they can survive the equivalent of a flight while staying firmly on the ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s where the $30-million London facility comes in, named after Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and located about half a kilometre away from where the CRC\u2019s offices and fabrication area for engineering, assembly, and test prep will be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Close to the airport\u2019s runway, they plan on building up to three test stands capable of testing engines producing more than one meganewton (or 1,000,000 newtons) of thrust.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, um, <em>a lot<\/em> of thrust. Less than 10 countries even have this capability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That means a lot of steel, concrete, excavation, and water-deluge systems, along with the engineering needed to keep the sound and vibration from a full-scale engine firing under control.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kolias says CRC is building the site to last 40 to 50 years, acting as a \u201ccornerstone to our development path and pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-building-the-expertise-behind-sovereign-launch\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Building the expertise behind sovereign launch<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Space race-ish? A little yes, a little no.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a competition \u201cagainst ourselves and our own ambitions as well,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s also one giant leap in establishing sovereign Canadian launch capability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As much as 20% of Canada\u2019s daily economic activity relies on space access, and Kolias says even this might be an underestimation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think about it. Between text messages, financial transactions, GPS, data, wildfire detection, and much (<em>much<\/em>) more, space is the backbone of how the world runs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without it, you can forget about driving to a new coffee shop in a different neighbourhood with just Apple Pay on your phone, and your laptop to stream a show over Netflix with your drink and sweet treat, and then texting your friend to tell them it was \u201cSO GOOD!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(I mean, we did do plenty of similar activities before, but do you <em>really<\/em> want to awkwardly unfurl a map? They literally never fold back the right way, the first time.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s also the issue of defence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of folks just assume that once you put a satellite up into space, that it would be safe until it becomes decommissioned,\u201d says Kolias, \u201cbut what\u2019s ended up happening is, unfortunately, space is slowly becoming militarized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adversaries being able to disable satellites is a \u201cwake-up call\u201d for all nations, he says, moving the ability to go to space \u201cwhen we want to, and with our own payloads\u201d to the top of the sovereignty to-do list.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canada is the only G7 country without domestic orbital launch capability, currently relying on foreign countries (primarily the U.S.) to put payloads into orbit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In February, Canada launched its Defence Industrial Strategy. Within its five pillars, space was identified as a high-value sector, and an area of key sovereign capability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A couple months later, in April, Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon introduced the <em>Canadian Space Launch Act<\/em>, to deliver Canadian sovereign space launch capabilities. This would create a legislative framework for CRC and other space sector companies to build on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kolias defines sovereignty in terms of what Canada can choose to do with this kind of capability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery day we rely on space infrastructure,\u201d he says. \u201cWe currently just don\u2019t have a way of, as Canadians, being able to access space on our own terms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growing Canada\u2019s space capabilities will bring a lot of needed expertise back home.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s ambitious projects like this that create huge economic opportunities,\u201d he says. \u201cCanadians who have felt for the longest time they\u2019ve had to leave the country to go places to work on very interesting and neat technologies. You can finally do that here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the company has attracted about 30 engineers from around the world, most with experience at aerospace companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab, Kolias says there are about 10 Canadians coming home to work for CRC.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with BNN Bloomberg, Kolias says the CRC\u2019s work \u201charkens back\u201d to the Avro Arrow, Canada\u2019s 1950s supersonic interceptor jet aircraft. While ultimately cancelled, the jet was lauded as one of the most advanced aircraft of its time, putting the country\u2019s scientific R&amp;D on the map. He says this is an opportunity to bring a similar program back to Canada, attracting and retaining talent, especially new grads.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStudents now have somewhere to go where they can learn from experts and folks who have seen it and done it before,\u201d says Kolias.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBrain drain\u201d is a common phrase in the innovation ecosystem, but over 150 years of combined orbital flight experience on the team is a big draw for students.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe match the cultural mosaic of Canada, in a way,\u201d he says, \u201cand you get all sorts of different work cultures and\u2026country cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-final-shots\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final shots<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CRC is trying to get to orbit without inventing more than it has to. Use technology that already works, get the rocket flying, then start improving it.<\/li>\n<li>Sovereign launch comes down to whether Canada can put its own payloads into orbit when it needs to, without waiting on another country.<\/li>\n<li>Bringing experienced rocket builders home gets the program moving. The bigger test will be if Canadian students can build that experience here without having to leave first.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> The infrastructure behind Canada\u2019s push to orbit<br \/>\n<br \/>#infrastructure #Canadas #push #orbit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two weeks before Toronto-based Canada Rocket Company (CRC) announced its new large-scale static rocket engine&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[7270,4869,4560,2165],"class_list":["post-22808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-canadas","tag-infrastructure","tag-orbit","tag-push"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2.png",1600,900,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-300x169.png",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-768x432.png",640,360,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-1024x576.png",640,360,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-1536x864.png",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2.png",1600,900,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-1115x715.png",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-800x500.png",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-540x340.png",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hugh-Kolias-CEO-Photo-by-Canada-Rocket-Company-2-400x250.png",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}