In its second launch from Spaceport Nova Scotia in less than a year, Dutch-based T-Minus Engineering experienced an outcome similar to its first attempt last November. The vehicle achieved a successful liftoff at 8:51 a.m. local time but encountered an anomaly in the latter stages of its flight profile before reaching its targeted suborbital altitude.
The June 10 launch saw the Barracuda, a single-stage solid-fuel rocket, lift off before an audience of roughly 100 guests. Attendees included Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen who pushed the launch button, federal and provincial politicians, First Nations leaders, and a delegation of NATO officials supporting the Starlift initiative.
Stephen Matier, CEO of Maritime Launch Services, confirmed the vehicle performed as expected during its initial ascent before encountering an issue later in the flight. Ground teams captured complete telemetry for the duration of the trajectory.
“The vehicle performed nominally during its first phase of the powered flight,” Matier said. “I think just the nature of solid rocket motors and everything else, there’s not a lot of moving parts. And so we just need to try to determine what occurred. I know they did have the thing fully instrumented and collected all the data all the way to impact.”
The data collected will dictate the timeline for future testing. While a second launch was initially planned for the same launch window today, operations were paused to allow engineers to analyze the flight metrics. It’s unlikely another launch will happen during the launch window which extends to June 14. Maritime Launch Services expects a fall launch window to open between October and November, coordinated alongside the schedule of T-Minus Engineering.
The event also served as a demonstration of the developing infrastructure at Spaceport Nova Scotia. Guests toured the facility compound and the area around the launch pad.
Local community integration remains a priority for the spaceport. Dozens of area residents attended the launch, and Matier noted ongoing efforts to keep the nearby marine community informed about restricted drop zones. He highlighted the contributions of local lobster harvesters, who supplied lobster for the launch reception.