The excitement at NordSpace is ramping up, as the Canadian space company prepares to launch the first suborbital flight of its Taiga rocket. If successful, it will mark the first Canadian commercial rocket launch from a private Canadian spaceport.
An earlier attempt in September was delayed due to a technical challenge with the rocket's cryogenic propellants.
"Building the most complex commercial rocket developed in Canadian history, in less than a year, on a fully self-funded budget and a small team has been an incredible experience," says Rahul Goel (EngSci 1T6, UTIAS PhD candidate), CEO and founder of NordSpace.
"We can't wait to get back to our spaceport in Newfoundland and launch Taiga to close this chapter."
Goel founded NordSpace in 2022 with a goal to build and launch rockets from Canada, part of his vision for a sovereign Canadian space program. The company is also developing larger rockets -- the Tundra and the Titan -- and is working on the launch of its first satellite next year.
"We have so many other missions running at the same time. Taiga is just one of several projects that we're excited to be working on," says Goel.
"Our first launch attempt gave our team the information and experience to move on to our orbital launch vehicle, Tundra."
During his time at U of T, Goel has been able to nurture his passions for both aerospace and entrepreneurship.
After graduating from Engineering Science with a major in Aerospace Engineering, Goel is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, studying under Professor Jonathan Kelly (UTIAS).
Goel also credits U of T for support in launching his first established company, PheedLoop, which provides end-to-end solutions for event management. The company has been operating for more than a decade and has a long list of clients in academia, government and the private sector.
Early in PheedLoop's development, Goel connected with The Entrepreneurship Hatchery, U of T Engineering's startup incubator that helps students turn ideas into ventures. He says that the organization played a key role in helping him build the initial business case.
"U of T Engineering and the Hatchery gave me discipline and structure in my life, and mentorship. I think those things really helped make me into who I am today," says Goel.
"The Hatchery has developed a unique methodology that encourages student founders to think big and act big," says Joseph Orozco, mentor and the executive director of The Entrepreneurship Hatchery.
"Rahul's entrepreneurial journey truly embodies that spirit -- understanding value creation and executing a vision. We are proud of his accomplishments so far, and excited for those still to come. The Hatchery continues to support current student entrepreneurs inspired by his journey."
Goel's long-held passion for space took a business turn when he noticed how Canada's lack of sovereign launch capability pushes many engineers to work overseas.
"I started noticing that Canadian talent was leaving, and commercial space companies in other countries were racing ahead and pushing their nations further, whereas Canada was not paying attention to this," says Goel.
"My anchor was always space because it was cool and unexplored, and there was adventure and risk in it, but now I'm very focused on it from the perspective of jobs, economic development, national security and Canada's reputation in the world."
Goel says he has always had a knack for trying to solve problems nobody else seemed to care about.
"I've always been in these positions where I've had to start initiatives because no one else was doing it," he says.
"I'm the type of person that really struggles when I see something that should be done, not being done. I just have to do something about it and that sort of gave me that entrepreneurial spirit."
Goel has a detailed plan to build NordSpace into a sustainable commercial business.
In June 2026, NordSpace aims to launch Terra-Nova, its first satellite. This mission will also test the company's Athena bus, its Zephyr-EP propulsion system and its Chronos edge-AI camera in orbit.
"Our goal is to be an end-to-end space missions' company," says Goel.
"We're building our own spaceport for the first time ever in Canada, we're building our launch vehicles here and we're building the stuff that's going to go in the rockets as well. All so we have this full-cycle company."
Another aim for the company is to help solve problems on earth from space.
"We're launching satellites next year that help monitor Canadian forests and wildlife because that's important," says Goel.
"That's why we do what we do. We want to focus on things that help life on earth."
Goel says that one of the critical skills required in building viable businesses is to be comfortable with failure. As an example, he says that he originally tried to start NordSpace right after completing his undergrad in 2016.
"Investors weren't lined up to give millions of dollars to a recent graduate to build rockets," he says.
By waiting to launch NordSpace after the success of PheedLoop, Goel was able to create a company that was -- and remains -- entirely self-funded.
"In the Hatchery, we thought failure was a good thing. It teaches you how to figure out how to do something better. Rahul understands that idea," says Professor Jonathan Rose (ECE) who mentored Rahul while he was a student in the Hatchery.
"He gets that when you're going to start a company: it's got to have value to someone who's willing to pay money for it. It's inspirational that he's pursued his passion for space, but in a commercial way."
In between running NordSpace and working on his PhD, Goel is still finding ways to give back to his U of T community. This past September, he spoke to a crowd of future entrepreneurs at the Desjardins Speaker Series as part of U of T's Acceleratorfest.
"Make your idea exist first, then make it better," says Goel.