German rocket builder Isar Aerospace has closed a funding round of approximately $400 million CAD (270 million Euros), bringing the company’s total funding raised to date to roughly $1.3 billion CAD (870 million Euros). This is good news for Maritime Launch Services which recently signed an agreement with them to pursue launches from Spaceport Nova Scotia.
The new capital will support the ramp-up of the company’s Munich production facility, designed to manufacture up to 40 Spectrum launch vehicles annually. The two-stage Spectrum rocket offers a payload capacity of up to 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO) and 700 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit.
To handle the higher launch rate the company is planning for, it is securing three distinct spaceports to date. So far the company has been focusing its launch manifest on launches from a pad at Andøya Space in Norway. The company also plans to use a launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. And importantly for Canada’s Maritime Launch Services, the company recently signed a Letter of Intent to pursue orbital launches from Spaceport Nova Scotia.
Each site offers specific logistical advantages. The Andøya Space location in Norway is close to Germany, meaning shipping rockets by truck or short sea routes keeps logistics costs low. To reach equatorial orbits, Isar will use the Guiana Space Centre in South America. Shipping rockets to French Guiana carries the highest logistics cost due to the long transatlantic journey. However, the site sits near the equator. Launching from there provides a natural speed boost from the Earth’s rotation, which saves fuel and allows the rocket to carry heavier payloads.
Spaceport Nova Scotia sits in the middle of these two. While it requires ocean shipping from Europe, the site offers mid- to high-inclination orbits (flight paths that take satellites closer to the Earth’s poles), which are optimal for communications, including defence communications, and Earth observation satellites.
Isar’s expansion into Canada aligns with a growing focus on defence. Over the past year, the company has seen its customer demand shift to 60 percent military and government contracts. Isar is already cooperating with German shipbuilder TKMS on a bid for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project to embed sovereign launch capabilities into NATO defence frameworks.
Locally, the agreement adds momentum to Spaceport Nova Scotia. Maritime Launch Services recently secured a $200 million sublease agreement with the Department of National Defence for a dedicated launch pad at the site. Isar will help design and finish its own dedicated pad at the Canso facility. The European rocket builder will also provide direct engineering feedback on the planned Launch Control Center.
“Space is no longer a frontier; it is the infrastructure of national power,” said Daniel Metzler, Co-Founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace. “With this strategic backing, we are expanding access to space for nations worldwide, delivering an orbital launch system at scale for government and commercial customers.”
Construction at Spaceport Nova Scotia is currently underway to prepare for these future flights. Crews are finishing the first phase of civil roadwork and preparing to build a central utility hub. This hub will provide power, water, and essential gases like helium directly to the launch pads.
With Isar bringing significant financial backing and technical capabilities to the table, the company is positioned to potentially be the first to attempt an orbital launch from Canadian soil. However, a lot has to go right for that to happen and significant logistical milestones remain.
A launch window of June 15 to 21 is approaching for Isar to attempt its qualification flight from Andøya in Norway. The ‘Onward and Upward’ mission is carrying five CubeSats and one experiment for ESA’s Boost! Program. In March 2025, the company made its inaugural orbital attempt, but the rocket failed shortly after launch. In April of this year, another attempt was scrubbed after they discovered a leak in a pressure vessel that stores high-pressure gas for the propellant tanks.
In the meantime, Canada’s ‘Launch the North‘ challenge is underway and Reaction Dynamics, NordSpace and Canada Rocket Company are all trying to be the first. With a firm deadline of 2028 built into the challenge, we will soon see which competitor successfully conducts Canada’s first orbital launch.