Photo: Space Concordia team posing during a field test
Source: Concordia University
In August 2025, a team of students from Concordia University (Montreal) wrote a new chapter in Canadian aerospace history. Their liquid-propelled rocket, Starsailor, lifted off from Northern Quebec — the first university-led Canadian attempt to reach space in more than 25 years.
From Concept to Launch
Founded in 2010, Space Concordia set out to give students hands-on experience in ambitious space projects. Over time, the team advanced from supersonic rockets and satellite missions to developing a liquid-fueled vehicle capable of crossing the Karman line (100 km).
The Starsailor effort began in 2018 and engaged hundreds of students. In 2021, its liquid engine achieved a successful hot-fire test, setting a thrust record for student-built liquid engines.
Historic Launch and Outcome
On August 15, 2025, Starsailor cleared the tower with a stable ascent and real-time telemetry. Moments later, the vehicle broke apart before reaching 100 km. Even so, the demonstration mattered: proving it’s possible to design, launch, and control a student-built liquid rocket of this scale.
Education, Outreach, and Inclusion
The mission also stood out for its partnership with the Cree Nation of Mistissini, which hosted the launch and welcomed STEM workshops for local youth — making education and inclusion as central as the engineering itself.
My Connection with Concordia
Although my academic foundation was built in Brazil, I also studied at Concordia University in Montreal. There, I completed a business extension program and took a few credits courses while preparing for graduate studies.
Attending Concordia changed the way I think: In a nutshell, it reinforced my ethos as an professional with curiosity, structure, and openness to multiple viewpoints —and the most important a continual practice of pairing technical rigor with a sense of purpose. The university fostered free thinking in the face of challenges, adding new perspectives to my repertoire.
Concordia became my school in Canada — not only a place where I studied, but a welcoming environment at a pivotal moment in my life. Watching Starsailor climb skyward reconnects me with that spirit of boldness and collaboration.
Why It Matters
Canada’s space heritage is well known — think Canadarm. Projects like Starsailor show that the next generation of Canadian engineers is stepping up. Even without reaching space this time, the message resonates: when students unite around audacious goals, they create history.
Personal closing note
Completing my business extension program at Concordia was more than a credential; it was a reinvention phase. Like Starsailor — which fell short of its full flight plan yet left a legacy of knowledge — I learned that value lies in outcomes and in the path itself. Daring, learning, and persistence are the engines that push us beyond our own boundaries.