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Another important, and long-sought after item on the Maritime Launch Services (MLS) to do list can now be marked as accomplished. MLS has a 20 year crown land lease with the Province of Nova Scotia for Spaceport Nova Scotia.
With the new crown land lease in hand, MLS will be able to develop and operate Spaceport Nova Scotia once it completes and has approved the remainder of the Province of Nova Scotia environmental assessment conditions.
Stephen Matier, President and CEO, Maritime Launch Services said “Acquiring the land lease is a huge milestone for Maritime Launch and the development of Spaceport Nova Scotia. This land lease cements Nova Scotia’s place as a leader in Canada’s growing space industry. We’re excited to build Spaceport Nova Scotia, but even more excited to build our team in Canso, Hazel Hill, and Little Dover, creating good jobs in the growing space sector.”
The Province of Nova Scotia granted a 20-year year crown land lease with an option to renew for another 20 years. The total area of the lease is 334.5 acres. MLS would need to “comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the lease” for the renewal to come into effect.
MLS will develop the following facilities on the crown land; A horizontal integration facility, launch pad, and related infrastructure to support launch activities.
It sounds like the threatened lands claim legal action by someone in the local M’kimaw community didn’t occur?
Back in October 2021, at an MLS public meeting, Mi’kmaw elder Elizabeth Marshall said,
“We can exert our title and every time we’ve done that we have defeated the corporations no matter how many billions they have because we can do something nobody else can do, we can occupy the site and conduct our ceremony and do our harvesting from that site and if we are on that site as Mi’kmaw people, nobody can move us. Especially if the community members are in support of it …That’s a last resort move but prepare for it … we are born to defend this land … and we know how to apply ourselves in a very peaceful, assertive way. And that’s what we can do.” –- From Lois Ann Dort’s article in the _Guysbourogh Journal_, 2021-10-13
I hope MLS repaired that relationship. Looking forward to the future article about the new American medium-lift carrier rocket that might launch from MLS’s spaceport.