Concordia University student rocket makes history but falls short of reaching space

For the first time this century, a rocket built and launched in Canada has reached for outer space – an attempt made not by a private company or government agency, but by a group of engineering students at Concordia University in Montreal who spent seven years turning their homegrown dreams of spaceflight into reality.

The rocket, dubbed Starsailor, lifted off on Friday at 5:34 a.m. E.T. from an isolated launch site in the Mistissini region of northern Quebec.