Boreal Launch

Boreal Launch is developing hybrid rocket propulsion intended to make access to space affordable, cleaner and more responsive, and to establish Canada as a sovereign launch provider. Founded in 2017 and led by Dr. Marcus Reyner as Chief Executive and Chief Technical Officer, the company designs and manufactures both an orbital launch vehicle, Aurora-8, and a family of in-space satellite thrusters.

Hybrid engines are inherently simpler and safer than liquid engines, but have never been qualified for orbital use: traditional fuels produce insufficient thrust, and the oxidiser-to-fuel ratio historically shifted during the burn. Boreal Launch has addressed this through a patent-protected combustion-chamber design and a novel propellant formulation, demonstrating sustained performance across the oxidiser-to-fuel range in test firings.

The company first-fired its RE-101 engine in April 2021, completed orbital-scale qualification of the RE-201/2 in December 2021, and tested a 150-newton in-space green-propellant thruster in February 2022. Its thruster line spans 1 to 200 newtons, and manufacturing is carried out in-house on Canada's only aerospace-grade Velo3D Sapphire 3D printer, giving production lead times of six to eight weeks.