January 20, 2026 A new Toronto-based startup says it wants to give the country the ability to launch and sustain satellites without relying on the United States or other allies. Canada Rocket Company emerged from stealth on Friday, announcing a $6.2 million CAD seed round backed entirely by Canadian investors.
CRC, says its goal is to build a sovereign, medium-lift launch system capable of putting complex spacecraft into orbit at scale.
At present, Canada lacks the ability to independently launch medium- or large-class payloads. Satellites built by Canadian firms routinely fly on foreign rockets, most often from SpaceX. Recent examples include launches for Kepler Communications and upcoming missions involving Nordspace. CRC argues that this reliance leaves Canada without control over when or even if critical systems reach orbit.
“Satellites underpin modern life, from payments and power grids to transportation, weather forecasting, and secure communications. Yet Canada relies on other nations to decide when, and whether, those systems reach orbit. That’s why Canada needs sovereign launch capability,” CRC chief executive Hugh Kolias wrote in a LinkedIn post.
CRC is setting its long-term sights on a rocket capable of lifting roughly 6,500 kilograms to low Earth orbit, the region where most commercial and government satellites operate. That would place it in the same general class as vehicles like SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Before attempting that leap, however, the company plans to build a smaller, light-lift rocket designed to meet what it calls “tactical launch requirements” and to establish the industrial base needed for a larger system.
The company was co-founded by Kolias and chief technology officer David Tenny, both of whom bring experience from the Canadian Space Agency and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 program. CRC claims its seed round is the largest all-Canadian seed investment to date for a space and defence startup. CRC says the capital will go toward hiring engineers and technicians, building a physical facility and advancing development of its first launch vehicle. The company is recruiting primarily in Toronto, with some remote roles across Canada, and is pitching itself as a way to reverse the long-standing outflow of Canadian aerospace talent.
CRC’s debut comes amid a push by Ottawa to strengthen domestic space and defence capabilities. In the 2025 federal budget, the government committed more than $182 million over three years to help establish a sovereign Canadian space launch capacity. It remains unclear whether that funding will support a government-run spaceport or flow through commercial projects now underway in Atlantic Canada.
