CANZUK

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/43249372

I came across this article, and I don't think it has been posted yet. It is not a new announcement, and the article is from last month.

The Canadian space program is growing at a hypersonic pace.

NordSpace, the Ontario-based space tech startup, is establishing the Supersonic and Hypersonic Applications Research Platform (SHARP), which aims to grow the country’s hypersonic capabilities with three new products.

• SHARP Arrow: A fixed-wing, rocket-powered, uncrewed aircraft built for research, reconnaissance, and intercept missions, capable of launching from and landing on a standard airport runway.
• SHARP Sabre: A modified version of the company’s suborbital Taiga rocket, which held a successful rocket engine test in January, updated to reach hypersonic speeds with larger payloads on board.
• M2S-HyRock: A 3D-printed, multi-fuel, multi-purpose liquid regeneratively cooled rocket engine, built to provide the industry with a storable rocket engine.

“There’s been a lot more interest in national sovereignty and understanding what our own capabilities are here, so that we’re more resilient at home, but also, in NordSpace’s opinion, more capable allies to partners like the United States,” Rahul Goel, NordSpace’s CEO, told Payload.

In February, Canada announced a new defense policy, which committed the country to invest 2% of its GDP into national security by 2032. Canadian defense spending is expected to grow by C$73B ($51.1B) over 20 years, including a C$8.1B ($5.67B) increase in the next five years alone.

SHARP will help Canada develop and test next-generation hypersonic tech, build out its fleet of monitoring aircraft, improve its responsive launch capabilities, and get better at detecting rocket and missile launches from above.

“[It’s] really important to get eyes in the sky as quickly as possible, especially in our Arctic, which is almost entirely undefended relative to other parts of the nation. So, a key element of all our hardware, especially these two vehicles, is that they’re being optimized for extreme cold weather environments like the Arctic,” Goel said.

What’s next: NordSpace is building Canada’s first commercial spaceport—Spaceport Canada—which is expected to be operational for the company’s first test launch of its Taiga suborbital rocket this year. At the same time, NordSpace is working on a larger orbital vehicle, named Tundra, which it hopes to demonstrate with a flight test in 2027.

Spaceport Canada will have two launch pads, one each for suborbital and orbital launches. While the company plans to use the spaceport for its own rocket tests and flights, it’s also hopeful that it will attract foreign launchers to the great white north.

I was reading an article about the UK set to land Europe's first rover on Mars (https://news.uk.cityam.com/story/2318834/content.html), and it set me to thinking about whether a CANZUK alliance/confederation/whatever could have a significant space program of its own.

Australia's current launch site is military. Canada's is a not-yet-operational joint venture of 3 USA-based firms. And New Zealand's is controlled by a firm that is now USA-centric. The 3 UK-based sites are in various stages of readiness. All sites are currently intended for satellites, as opposed to manned missions (with the possible exception of Cornwall); however, that doesn't mean this can't be adjusted down the line.

Launch sites across all 4 countries could work very well for a rapid implementation of constellation satellite systems, which could include anything from improved Internet services, secure GPS services, telcom/media services, defensive monitoring, etc.

If sites are expanded to support manned missions, this could provide some flexibility for return missions, station supply, etc.

Governmental Space Agencies:

• Australian Space Agency
• Canadians Space Agency
• New Zealand Space Agency
• UK Space Agency

Existing (Satellite) Launch Sites:

Australia

• Arnhem Space Centre
• Koonibba Test Range
• Space Centre Australia
• Whalers Way Oribital Launch Complex
• Woomera Range Complex

Canada

• Maritime Launch is a joint venture of 3 US-based firms

New Zealand

• Rocket Labs

United Kingdom

• Sutherland Spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland
• Saxavord Space Port in Shetland, Scotland
• Spaceport Cornwall in Cornwall, England

Updated 2025 Apr 6 with more Australian Sites, and sorted by country