New London rocket test facility
Canada Rocket Company Breaks Ground on $30M London Test Facility for Space Access
Anonymous
Canada Rocket Company has broken ground on a $30-million rocket-engine test facility near London International Airport, a project intended to help Canada develop independent access to space. Named the Jeremy Hansen Test Facility, it will conduct static tests—not rocket launches—and is expected to be operational by 2028. The site will test engines for CRC’s planned reusable medium-lift rocket, designed to carry up to 12,500 kilograms into orbit; the project has received $8.3 million in federal defence funding. CRC expects the facility to create about 40 local jobs, while its broader rocket program could generate substantially more employment and investment. Supporters say domestic launch capability could reduce reliance on foreign rockets for satellites that underpin services including communications, GPS and defence.
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The facility is planned for 50 acres of leased land at the southwest corner of Nissouri Road and Evelyn Drive in Thorndale, and includes a 12,000-square-foot office and shop building with fabrication space for engineering, assembly and test preparation.
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CRC says its planned R2 rocket would have nine engines on its first stage and one on its second stage, with the company aiming for a launch cadence of as often as once a week once operations are fully established.
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CRC is developing training partnerships with Western University and Fanshawe College; the airport’s president said the project would create opportunities for collaboration with the schools and emerging aerospace workers.
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Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli linked the project to concerns about Canadian sovereignty amid a trade war, saying, “our sovereignty continues to be challenged.”
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CRC CEO Hugh Kolias said the federal government’s 2026 Defence Industrial Strategy, which identified space and domestic launch capability as a high-value sector, was the “trigger point” for starting the company.
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