Kutryk Completes First Spacewalk; Maritime Launch on TSX

By Robo Chris 0 Comment

Kutryk Completes First Spacewalk; Maritime Launch on TSX

Canada From Orbit

Joshua Kutryk Completes First Spacewalk; CSA Funds Mars Methane Research

In October, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk achieved a major career milestone with his first spacewalk on the International Space Station, while the CSA funded work to strengthen Canada’s planetary science capabilities.

Kutryk completed his first spacewalk on October 29 with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, spending 7 hours and 11 minutes installing a solar array. During a press conference after the mission, Kutryk reflected on the experience: “To be on the end of Space Station, looking down, watching the world whirl by as a globe – it’s hard to put into words. I feel very lucky to have seen it.” A second spacewalk is scheduled for November 5 to install the eighth and final rollout solar array of an upgrade campaign that began in 2021. Together, the new arrays will increase the Station’s power generation capacity by up to 30%.

Kutryk Completes First Spacewalk; Maritime Launch on TSX

Kutryk’s support team extended from the Station itself to the ground. CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons served as capcom from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, providing the primary link between ground experts and the crew. Meanwhile, robotics operators at the CSA’s Robotics Mission Control Centre in Longueuil were assigned to monitor and support operations in real time. Canadarm2, Canada’s robotic arm, assisted the spacewalkers during the first operation and is planned to assist during the second. With his first spacewalk, Kutryk becomes the fifth CSA astronaut to conduct a spacewalk, joining Chris Hadfield, Steve MacLean, Dave Williams, and David Saint-Jacques.

In separate progress on Mars exploration, the CSA awarded a contract worth approximately $1.5 million to Quebec City–based ABB Inc. to advance the MAGE-ICOS (Martian Atmospheric Gas Evolution Experiment – Inter-Cavity Optical Spectroscopy) instrument, designed to detect trace amounts of methane on Mars. The presence of methane on Mars could provide important clues about the red planet’s past and present, including whether it may once have supported life. ABB will refine and test the instrument’s technology, reduce measurement noise, and improve its sensitivity under conditions representative of the Martian atmosphere, building on previous CSA-funded work.

Image shared by @csa_asc | Source: @csa_asc

Canadian technology launched to the International Space Station for testing in microgravity. NASA’s SpaceX CRS-35 mission launched on October 13, carrying ACTIS, a tool designed to support early detection of blood clots in astronauts on long-duration space missions. ACTIS works by testing the levels of a protein fragment called D-Dimer that is produced when blood clots break down, helping safeguard crew health during extended missions.

Maritime Launch Joins TSX as Reaction Dynamics Unveils Borealis Roadmap

Canada’s commercial space sector took significant steps forward in October and early November, with Maritime Launch achieving a major listing milestone and Reaction Dynamics laying out its medium-lift ambitions.

Maritime Launch Achieves TSX Listing with Spaceport Nova Scotia Partnerships

Maritime Launch Services announced conditional approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange on October 15 and final approval on November 2. Common shares began trading on the TSX under the symbol MAXQ at market open on November 3, upgrading the company’s listing from Cboe Canada. CEO Stephen Matier said: “As Maritime Launch develops Spaceport Nova Scotia, Canada’s gateway to space, listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange will provide an important platform to broaden our visibility and engagement with the investment community. We are building strategic national infrastructure that can connect Canada to the global space economy and provide sovereign access to space from Canadian soil.”

Image shared by @maritimelaunch | Source: @maritimelaunch

Maritime continued developing Spaceport Nova Scotia. On October 7, Maritime and Galaxia, an Atlantic Canada–based space technology company, announced a partnership to develop an Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS) for launch operations. The AFSS will process launch vehicle sensor data onboard and determine whether termination criteria have been met, reducing reliance on traditional ground-based range safety processes and enabling a more automated and resilient approach to launch safety. The development program is being funded by Maritime Launch with support through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).

Reaction Dynamics Completes 50 Engine Tests; Borealis Medium-Lift Rocket Unveiled

Reaction Dynamics announced major progress on its propulsion roadmap. On October 8, the company announced it had completed 50 tests in its liquid-fueled engine development program, comprising 21 hot-fire tests across two engine variants. The campaign concluded with hot-fire tests measuring characteristic-velocity efficiency above 95%, alongside strong thermal margins. Orbital-scale engine hardware is now in manufacturing near Montreal, with testing scheduled to begin in November 2026.

On October 20, Reaction Dynamics unveiled Borealis, its next-generation medium-lift rocket designed to deliver 6 tonnes to low Earth orbit, with a first launch targeted for 2031. The announcement establishes a two-vehicle roadmap for Canadian access to space: Aurora, targeting its first orbital flight from Canadian soil in Q4 2028, and Borealis extending that capability to medium lift by 2031. CEO Bachar Elzein stated: “We founded Reaction Dynamics because we believe Canada should be able to reach orbit on its own terms. Nearly a decade of propulsion development, right here in Quebec, has given us the country’s largest launch vehicle team, the most capital raised by any Canadian launch company, and its most extensive propulsion testing heritage.”

Citations

No launches this week.

Enjoying the content? Stay up to date on everything happening behind the scenes by following our Patreon!

Support The Canadian Space on Patreon

Robo Chris
https://thecanadian.space/meet-robo-chris/

Robo Chris is a collection of API calls, filters, and searches, bolted together with magic and love. He performs instructed information gathering on Canadian aerospace news ,daily broadcasts, weekly NASA and SpaceX reports, and monthly deep-dives on Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, the Canadian space industry, and the broader commercial spaceflight sector AND does a fair bit of writing too. Everything he creates gets submitted to editor-in-chief actual Chris for fact-checking, approval, and publication.

Leave a Reply