Canada is investing big in space innovation. Through the IDEaS Launch the North challenge, they’re offering $105 million to fund breakthrough technologies that can deliver light payloads into orbit from Canadian soil.
The challenge
This contest seeks to accelerate the advancement of Canadian-designed space launch vehicles and supporting technologies, enabling the launch of Canadian payloads from Canadian soil with an initial operational capability for light lift by as late as 2028.
The initiative is currently focused on Responsive Light Lift rockets, with the goal of building Canadian capacity and expertise in small-scale launch capabilities. Success in this challenge will lay the foundation for potential future iterations, including a Medium Lift challenge, allowing participants to expand and scale their solutions over time.
Submit your application by noon (ET), January 9, 2026. Apply today!
What IDEaS provides
Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) is offering grants to selected participants, distributed across three fiscal years to support the development and demonstration of breakthrough technologies.
The challenge unfolds through a multi-phase, stage-gated process, where prizes are awarded at each stage based on evaluation against pre-established criteria, driving both innovation and measurable progress. In the event that only one participant remains, the challenge will continue to the next stage to ensure that strong, strategically relevant solutions are recognized and supported. The maximum total payout per project across all phases will not exceed $100 million.
The table below shows the notional funding allocations for the duration of this challenge.
| 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000,000 | $40,000,000 | $40,000,000 | $105,000,000 |
IDEaS is seeking innovative solutions that accelerate Canada’s sovereign space launch capabilities. As Canada’s reliance on space-based systems for communication, navigation, intelligence, surveillance, and early warning continues to grow, so does the need for secure, sovereign access to space.
To meet this need, the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are launching this IDEaS challenge to support the development of Canadian space launch capabilities. This challenge seeks to accelerate the advancement of Canadian-designed launch vehicles and supporting technologies, enabling the launch of Canadian payloads from Canadian soil with an initial operational capability for light lift by as late as 2028.
This initiative will support the following objectives:
- Secure Canada’s strategic autonomy in space by reducing reliance on foreign launch providers;
- Enhance national defence and security through responsive and resilient space access;
- Stimulate Canadian innovation and dual-use technology development in the commercial and defence sectors; and
- Position Canada as a global leader in commercial space launch and advanced aerospace technologies.
Recognizing that access to space is as critical as the payloads themselves, this challenge will foster Canadian industrial and academic collaboration to develop launch systems capable of supporting future DND/CAF missions. These may include hosted payloads for Space Domain Awareness (SDA), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Satellite Communications (SATCOM), Navigation (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) and Space Control.
Through this challenge, DND/CAF aims to build a resilient and future-ready Canadian space ecosystem, one that ensures Canada’s security, prosperity, and leadership in the space domain.
