Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Concordia Students Launch First Canadian Rocket Since 1998; Early Nose-Cone Failure Likely Shortened Flight

Recovery crews on Cree territory are securing debris to confirm whether Starsailor crossed the Kármán line.

Image
Concordia University engineering student's spacecraft Starsailor launched at 5:34 a.m. in the Mistissini region of northern Quebec on Aug. 15, 2025.
The Starsailor rocket measures just under 13 meters in length and generates an average of 35 kilonewtons of thrust, according to the Space Concordia website.

Overview

  • Starsailor lifted off at 5:34 a.m. ET on Aug. 15 from a remote site in Mistissini Cree territory, ascending into a clear morning sky.
  • Transport Canada’s sign-off was the first authorization of its kind for a student-led rocket attempt.
  • Telemetry and livestream commentary showed an unexpected nose-cone separation near peak dynamic pressure, likely curtailing its ascent below the 100 km space boundary.
  • Recovery teams, aided by local pilots and the Mistissini Cree community, are retrieving hardware to reconstruct flight events and diagnose the anomaly.
  • The seven-year, 700-member Space Concordia project aimed to pioneer liquid-fuel propulsion in student rocketry and reignite Canada’s independent launch capabilities.