Category: Aerospace

Ottawa investing $200-million to enable sovereign satellite launches

Irene Galea and Pippa Norman, reporting for The Globe and Mail:

Ottawa is investing $200-million in a Canadian-owned spaceport to enable sovereign satellite launches and has selected three companies to receive funding from its launch grant program as part of its effort to boost Canada’s space and defence capabilities and encourage new investment in the industry.

Ottawa will lease a dedicated space launch pad at Spaceport Nova Scotia, the facility near Canso, N.S., being constructed by Halifax-based Maritime Launch Services.

The Department of National Defence will pay $20-million per year over 10 years, with 90 per cent of gross rental payments being spent in Canada to support the domestic space agency.

Meanwhile, three companies – Canada Rocket Company, Reaction Dynamics, and NordSpace – will each receive a $8.3-million non-repayable grant to develop space launch vehicles and technologies.

‘Europe has woken up’: Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the UK commit to produce low-cost drones within a year

Five NATO allies, Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, on Friday February 20, 2026, committed to jointly develop new low-cost autonomous drones.

Defence ministers from the five countries – newly known as the E5 countries – meeting in Krakow, said they would launch an initiative called Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) with the aim of producing drones within a year.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, was in attendance for the announcement.

Press conference after the meeting of the E5 defense ministers

Sources:

Politico: 5 NATO allies agree to produce low-cost drones https://www.politico.eu/article/5-nato-allies-agree-to-produce-low-cost-drones/

Euronews: E5 defence ministers in Krakow say ‘Europe has woken up’ https://www.euronews.com/2026/02/20/e5-defence-ministers-in-krakow-say-europe-has-woken-up

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly delivers remarks in Toronto

In the days after the unveiling of the Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly addresses the Empire Club of Canada and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly delivers remarks in Toronto – February 19, 2026

Reference:

Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/industrial-strategy/security-sovereignty-prosperity.html

Prime Minister Mark Carney launches Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy

“The work of defending Canada is the work of building Canada. Security and prosperity are mutually reinforcing foundations of the true North, strong and free. Our new Defence Industrial Strategy ensures Canada remains a sovereign nation, in charge of its own destiny. That’s Canada strong, and that’s what we are building, together.”

Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

The world is changing rapidly. The international rules-based order is fading, and technological change is expanding the fields of conflict. In response, Canada’s new government is focused on what Canadians can control: rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Canada is on track to hit our 2% NATO spending target this fiscal year and applications to join the CAF are up nearly 13%.

To protect Canada’s sovereignty, build Canadian prosperity, and strengthen Canadian strategic autonomy, the federal government is changing how Canada invests in defence.

Continue reading “Prime Minister Mark Carney launches Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy”