Three Canadian Payloads Ride to Orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-15

On November 28, 2025, SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral, carrying a record-setting 140 payloads—one of which included a trio of Canadian contributions. Montreal-based GHGSat expanded its greenhouse gas monitoring constellation with two new satellites: GHGSat-C14 (Teodor) and GHGSat-C15 (Laila). Built by Spire Global on the LEMUR-2 platform, these additions bring GHGSat’s operational fleet to 16 satellites, with at least two more slated for launch in 2026. Meanwhile, Edmonton’s Wyvern sent its Dragonette-005 hyperspectral imaging payload aboard Loft Orbital’s YAM-9 satellite. This marks Wyvern’s second flight in 2025, following Dragonette-004’s March launch on Transporter-13. All three Canadian payloads were integrated through Exolaunch, the German manifesting firm that’s supported every SpaceX Transporter mission to date. SpaceQ has confirmed successful deployment of all payloads.

Canada Pivots Toward Europe with $528.5M ESA Investment

In a strategic move to diversify international partnerships, Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced a historic $528.5 million investment in the European Space Agency (ESA) during her surprise appearance at the SpaceBound conference in Ottawa on November 18. Speaking to a room of aerospace leaders, Joly emphasized that Canada’s space sector—employing 14,000 people and contributing $5 billion to GDP—is “at the core of something that will become bigger than all of us.” The funding aims to boost Canadian exports to Europe and create new contracts through ESA collaborations. Joly highlighted existing Canadian successes within ESA programs, such as Toronto’s Kepler as prime contractor for the HydRON mission and C-CORE in Atlantic Canada supplying satellite transponders. The investment reinforces Canada’s unique status as the only non-European permanent partner in ESA, a relationship dating back nearly 50 years. With a $81 billion, five-year defence budget now in place, Joly tied space capabilities directly to national security, citing threats ranging from cyberattacks to climate-driven wildfires.

Ottawa Cybersecurity Firm Joins ESA’s Space Defence Initiative

Dominant Information Solutions Canada (DISC), an Ottawa-based cybersecurity firm specializing in high-stakes incident response, has become the first Canadian company to join ESA’s Cybersecurity Makerspace program. Partnering with German satellite manufacturer OHB SE, DISC is developing a “principles-based threat assessment framework” applicable to everything from off-the-shelf smallsats to bespoke government platforms. The project, backed by a letter of support from the Canadian Space Agency under its ARTES agreement with ESA, will evaluate two contrasting satellites over the next year to identify common vulnerabilities in command telemetry, GPS signals, and sensor data streams. DISC’s team—largely composed of former DND, CSIS, and CSE personnel—brings experience from terrestrial telecom and national defence. Their prior work includes eClypse, a satellite-embedded intrusion detection system now at TRL 6. While DISC’s client list remains confidential (by policy), their involvement in ESA’s program signals growing recognition that space infrastructure is no longer “untouchable”—especially after incidents like the 2022 Viasat hack. As Marc Kneppers, DISC’s VP of R&D, put it: “The proof of our success may be the breaches that never happen.”

Citations

• “SpaceX Transporter-15 rideshare mission launches with 3 Canadian payloads” – https://spaceq.ca/spacex-transporter-15-rideshare-mission-launches-with-3-canadian-payloads/
• “Remarks and Q&A by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly at the SpaceBound conference” – https://spaceq.ca/remarks-and-qa-by-industry-minister-melanie-joly-at-the-spacebound-conference/
• “Dominant Information Solutions Canada (DISC) brings skillset to ESA’s Cybersecurity Makerspace Program” – https://spaceq.ca/dominant-information-solutions-canada-disc-brings-skillset-to-esas-cybersecurity-makerspace-program/