Few will have any idea and even fewer yet will remember that
Canada's first spaceport was actually located in Churchill,
Manitoba. First developed as a research range launching sounding
rockets by the Canadian military, the site would transfer hands
between the United States and Canada until it eventually fell under
the ownership and control of Akjuit Aerospace Inc. – our
first Canadian commercial launch provider. Near the eve of
its eventual closure in May 1998, Akjuit launched a Black Brandt 9
sounding rocket for the Canadian Space Agency – officially
the first, and at that time the only, fully commercial spaceport in
the world.
Eventually, however, like many things ahead of their time,
Akjuit Aerospace was shuttered. For a variety of reasons, the
commercial launch market hadn't then developed as anticipated
and the economics simply weren't sustainable. Now, the range
sits decommissioned and designated a national historic site.
