Welcome to Edition 8.34 of the Rocket Report! The most important significant news this week, I believe, is the decision by Canada to make a serious investment in launch infrastructure at a spaceport in Nova Scotia. Tensions have risen between the United States and Canada of late (for reasons which are baffling to this author, who has always had an affinity for the nation to our north), and as a result Canada is seeking launch independence. This is an important start, but it will require a sustained, long-term commitment to really develop a flourishing launch industry. As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar. Canada makes major commitment to space launch. The country’s leading minister of national defense, David J. McGuinty, announced on Monday a $200 million investment in “core infrastructure” for a spaceport in Nova Scotia. The investment is a 10‑year, $200 million agreement to lease a dedicated space‑launch pad that will serve as the central foundation for a multi-user spaceport near Canso, Nova Scotia. The facility is operated by Maritime Launch Services. Why do this now? … McGuinty cited “a more complex and unpredictable security environment.” He added, “In the decades ahead, our security, our prosperity, and our sovereignty will increasingly extend beyond our atmosphere.” One way of looking at this is that, for decades, Canada has relied on others, including the United States, to get its payloads into orbit. The country probably now views its southern neighbor has a less reliable partner. Canada also said it had awarded $8.3 million in funding, each, to native rocket companies NordSpace, Canada Rocket Company, and Reaction Dynamics—companies it hopes will utilize the Nova Scotia spaceport.