This mission will represent the next step in advancing Spaceport Nova Scotia's suborbital and hypersonic testing capabilities, as Maritime Launch continues to establish Nova Scotia, Canada, as a hub for innovative space commercialization, research, and development. The Barracuda platform, developed by T-Minus, facilitates high-speed, high-altitude experiments for civil and defence applications.
Maritime Launch and T-Minus Engineering will launch two suborbital vehicles that carry payloads. Operating within Canada's existing regulatory regime for rocket launch, the vehicles are anticipated to reach altitudes significantly above the Karman line, the acknowledged boundary of space, while achieving speeds over Mach 6. The launches will also accommodate various scientific and educational payloads for clients. T-Minus has successfully conducted launch campaigns at Esrange Space Centre in Sweden, Andoya Space in Norway and MOD Hebrides in the UK. Previous missions have enabled testing for radar tracking and supported atmospheric and environmental research missions in the ionosphere.
"Our suborbital launch program offers a turnkey solution for clients. With seamless integration of payloads into suborbital missions, our teams will handle all launch logistics, payload integration, and mission execution, allowing clients to concentrate exclusively on their payload objectives," says Stephen Matier, President and CEO, Maritime Launch. "These launches will continue to mature launch heritage at the Spaceport, diversify service offerings, and expand international collaborations with launch vehicle clients."
Based in the Netherlands, T-Minus Engineering has a legacy of advancing aerospace systems across Europe and internationally. Their decision to launch from Nova Scotia reflects the growing confidence in Canada's sovereign spaceport capabilities in Nova Scotia and the strategic value of the spaceport's location for transatlantic cooperation.
"We look forward to bringing our Barracuda platform to Spaceport Nova Scotia," said Mark Uitendaal, Director of T-Minus Engineering. "This launch will demonstrate a fully integrated flight campaign with our Canadian partners and help build momentum for future hypersonic testing programs in Canada. While most of the payload capacity has already been allocated, limited slots remain available. We encourage industry and academic institutions to contact us to propose payloads for this mission."
T-Minus will use its flight-proven suborbital vehicles, each configured for specific client applications and capable of delivering payloads to extreme environments. The company's Barracuda rocket is a single-stage, solid-fuel suborbital vehicle that stands approximately 4 metres tall. It features a booster with a diameter of 200 millimetres and a payload compartment measuring 1000 millimetres. Barracuda can carry payloads of up to 40 kilograms to altitudes reaching 120 kilometres.
T-Minus and Maritime Launch's suborbital launch will use a mobile launch vehicle integration building to prepare the two rockets for launch. Together, they will construct a mobile launch platform from the suborbital launch pad at the spaceport. While T-Minus has launched Barracuda many times before, this will be the first time the company has done so in North America.
The T-Minus suborbital flights are slated to be launched from Spaceport Nova Scotia in October.
Related Links
Maritime Launch Services
T-Minus
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
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