On Saturday, a Spanish company, PLD Space, initiated Spain's inaugural private rocket launch, marking a significant move toward Spain's inclusion among spacefaring nations.
View of the launch of the Spanish MIURA 1 rocket at Medano del Loro, in Mazagon, Spain, taken on October 7, 2023.
Spain's First Rocket Launch Deemed a Success
The launch of the MIURA1 rocket occurred at 08:19 EDT (0019 GMT) from a military base in Andalusia, Spain, marking a successful achievement of its technical objectives. After ascending to 46 kilometers (29 miles) above the Gulf of Cadiz, the rocket landed in the Atlantic Ocean, where a recovery team would be dispatched.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed the launch as a "milestone" for Spain's research, development, and innovation in space transport. He lauded the MIURA1 rocket as the first entirely Spanish-built rocket, positioning the country at the forefront of space technology.
During the suborbital test flight, the rocket carried a payload for data collection but was not designed for release. Mission control footage showed jubilant engineers celebrating the rocket's ascent. Although despite its 306-second flight duration, the rocket's maximum altitude of 46 kilometers fell short of the mission planners' initial hopes.
Nonetheless, PLD Space CEO Raul Torres expressed his elation, stating that all rocket systems functioned flawlessly. He also mentioned the company's plans to triple its workforce, emphasizing that this achievement was just the beginning.
Spanish acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez took to social media to congratulate the successful launch of MIURA1, highlighting it as a milestone that places Spain's research and development in the forefront of space exploration.
The rocket's launch faced two previous suspensions, initially in May due to strong winds and then in June due to issues with its umbilical cables. The MIURA 5, a 35-meter-high, two-stage mini-launch vehicle designed to launch satellites under 500 kilograms into orbit from 2025, is the next step in development. PLD Space noted that 70% of MIURA1's components will be used in MIURA 5.
A partnership with the French National Centre for Space Studies will see the mini-launcher take off from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana.
About MIURA1 Spacecraft
PLD Space has developed MIURA1, a suborbital launch vehicle within Europe. It is a fully designed space system for launching payloads into space and safely returning them, primarily intended for advancing scientific research and technology development under microgravity conditions.
Originally envisioned as a two-stage rocket with a length of 12 meters and a payload capacity of 250 kg, the final design of MIURA1 is a 12.7-meter, one-stage rocket with a 0.7-meter diameter. It is powered by a TEPREL-B engine and can carry payloads of up to 200 kg on suborbital trajectories.
The propulsion system includes thrust vector control actuators for precise control. MIURA1 also features a recovery system utilizing its engines and parachutes, making it Europe's first recoverable launch vehicle. Approximately 70% of the technology developed for MIURA1 will be utilized in the Miura 5 orbital rocket.
In December 2019, it was announced that MIURA1's avionics system had passed the qualification phase. By March of the following year, stress tests on the rocket's pressurized tanks confirmed their ability to withstand working pressures exceeding 400 bars.
Vibration tests for payload readiness on the first MIURA1 launch were successfully conducted by the German Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) in July 2020.
On April 7, 2022, PLD Space conducted the first complete launcher test in Europe, marking a significant step toward achieving spaceflight using liquid fuel propulsion.
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