Rockets were already being tested in Churchill in 1954, but it quickly became apparent that a better, more permanent arrangement needed to be made, and construction began in 1956. In July, 1957, the International Geophysical Year began, involving 67 countries and was highlighted by the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1. Churchill became a focal point since branches of the studies included aurora, geomagnetism, and glaciology.
During the IGY, almost 200 rockets, mostly Aerobee and Nike Cajun types, were fired from this range. In December of that year, the IGY concluded, and so did operations for Churchill rockets.
This was one of the locations in Churchill that most sparked my interest. The idea that Canada had once hosted an advanced rocket program, before man even set foot on the moon, inspires the imagination, and raises so many questions.  What happened? Why didn’t we continue? Why weren’t we more integral to humanity’s quest for the final frontier?
After examining results from IGY, scientists from both the United States and Canada realized the value of continuing launches from Churchill. In August, 1959, the range was reopened under the operational control of the US Army, and launches began on behalf of NASA, the US Air Force, ARPA, the US Navy and the Canadian Army.
In February, 1961, operations once again came to a halt as a result of a fire that caused significant damage to the facility. After many political battles and a flurry of internal documentation, control of the Range passed from the US Army to the US Air Force around July, 1962.
I drove out to the site on two separate occasions to look it over. The strange shapes of the buildings, the large panels that could open to allow rocket exhaust to vent, and the covered walkways that connected it all together. One could easily imagine the people bustling about and excitement that must have surrounded almost every launch.
While several of the larger buildings were clearly meant to launch rockets, they were so completely different in design and appearance, it was a challenge to figure how each worked.
In June, 1970, the US Army and Air Force having left the range, the site was taken over by the National Research Council of Canada. It was meant to support Canada’s studies of the upper atmosphere, though use was minimal, and by 1985 the facility was all but abandoned.
In 1992, a 30-year lease with Akjuit Aerospace was signed by the Canadian government. The idea was to form the world’s first commercial space port. Only one rocket, a Black Brant research rocket was ever launched by this group on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency. They ended operations in May, 1998.
