Maritime Launch Services has signed a 10-year facilities usage agreement with German launch company Isar Aerospace to develop a dedicated launch complex for the Spectrum rocket at Spaceport Nova Scotia near Canso.

The agreement advances plans for commercial orbital launches from Canada's first licensed commercial orbital spaceport, with construction of the new facilities expected to begin this year and the first orbital launches targeted for 2028.

Under the agreement, Maritime Launch Services will provide the licensed launch site, including the launch pad, assembly, integration and testing facilities, a launch operations centre and a payload integration facility. Isar Aerospace will develop and operate a dedicated launch complex for its Spectrum launch vehicle and has established Isar Aerospace Canada Inc. to support its North American operations.

The agreement follows a letter of intent the companies signed in May. In March, Maritime Launch Services received a $200 million commitment from the federal government for a 10-year lease on the launch pad.

Maritime Launch Services said the contract has an initial 10-year term, with options for Isar Aerospace to renew for two additional five-year periods. The company will receive quarterly payments of US$3.75 million during the operational phase of the agreement. However, the contract includes a 30-month fee waiver beginning at the end of the first year, during which no quarterly payments will be made. Maritime Launch Services will also receive additional cost-plus fees for certain launch-related services.

The companies said Spaceport Nova Scotia is designed as a multi-user orbital spaceport serving commercial, civil and defence customers. The site on Nova Scotia's Atlantic coast provides over-ocean launch trajectories and access to mid-, high-inclination and polar orbits.

Launch operations are expected to begin ramping up in 2028, with the potential to support as many as 40 launches annually by 2029.

"This agreement represents another important milestone in building Canada's sovereign launch capability," Maritime Launch Services president and chief executive officer Stephen Matier said in a statement.

The agreement was signed Wednesday in Ankara, Türkiye, during the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum.

The contract remains conditional on the companies agreeing by Sept. 1 on a statement of work and project milestones, the launch pad being handed over to Isar Aerospace by Nov. 1, and additional infrastructure at Spaceport Nova Scotia being completed by Dec. 31, 2027.