Isar Aerospace signs agreement for Canadian launch site
TOKYO - Isar Aerospace has signed a contract to develop a Canadian launch site for its Spectrum rocket, an agreement linked to a deal to sell submarines to the Canadian military.
Isar announced July 7 that it signed a contract with Maritime Launch Services (MLS), which is developing a spaceport near Canso, Nova Scotia, called Spaceport Nova Scotia. The agreement covers development of a launch complex there for Isar's Spectrum rocket.
MLS will be responsible for providing the launch site, including the pad itself, an integration building, launch operations center and payload processing complex. Isar will pay $3.75 million per quarter under a 10-year agreement, with two five-year options, although there will be a fee-waiver period for 30 months after the first year of the contract.
"We are excited to partner with Maritime Launch Services and launch Spectrum from Spaceport Nova Scotia," said Alexandre Dalloneau, vice president of mission and launch operations at Isar Aerospace, in a statement. "Canada is the next step in our roadmap to bring full end-to-end launch capability to sovereign nations, and we are proud to be doing it here in, and together with, Canada."
"By combining Isar Aerospace's launch vehicle, Spectrum, with Spaceport Nova Scotia's licensed infrastructure, we are creating the conditions for reliable orbital launch services from Canada," said Stephen Matier, president and chief executive of MLS, in the statement.
The agreement builds on a letter of intent signed May 26 between Isar and MLS regarding use of the spaceport for Spectrum launches. That letter was announced a week after Isar said it was partnering with German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as part of the company's bid to build new submarines for the Canadian navy. The partnership was part of an industrial offset package by TKMS in its effort to win the deal.
The Canadian government announced July 6 that it selected TKMS as the preferred supplier for the submarines, beginning final negotiations on the contract.
The agreement between MLS and Isar comes after the Canadian military announced in March its own 10-year lease agreement with MLS for a dedicated pad at Spaceport Nova Scotia valued at 200 million Canadian dollars ($141 million). The Canadian military also said it would provide 8.3 million Canadian dollars to each of three Canadian launch startups - Canada Rocket Company, NordSpace and Reaction Dynamics - to advance design work on small launch vehicles.
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