In a significant milestone for PLD Space, led by Ezequiel Sánchez, a flight mission rehearsal was successfully completed. This achievement signals that Miura 1, the company’s inaugural rocket, is prepared for its first flight, according to PLD Space statements on its social channels. This marks PLD Space as the first European micro-launcher to reach this stage of readiness, showcasing substantial progress in the continent’s private space sector.
The rehearsal campaign represents the initial comprehensive validation of the suborbital vehicle, aiming to ensure every subsystem operates correctly before an integrated, full-system test. While individual subsystems have been tested and verified, the campaign advances the program by validating the complete launch vehicle as an integrated system, a crucial step forward for the firm.
During the campaign, the team conducted several validation tests and three static firings, also known as hot tests, at durations of five, 20, and 110 seconds. The 110-second test, the flight mission test, is a critical benchmark because it simulates the full sequence of a real launch without an actual ascent. The co-founder, chief executive, and launch director of PLD Space, Raul Torres, described the moment as making the rocket feel like it is moving toward space.
The 110-second test duration corresponds to the expected engine burn time in a real flight. Its goal is to verify the proper operation of all subsystems during a simulated ascent. Data gathered from these tests allows the PLD Space team to fine tune first-flight parameters and validate the vehicle’s readiness for an actual launch. In the company’s own words, the test data helps confirm whether each component behaves correctly under realistic conditions and guides adjustments to the propulsion and avionics settings before an inaugural flight.
During one test on July 19, a malfunction was detected in the oxygen tank pressurization device after six seconds, a fault that prompted a necessary test cancellation. The issue has since been addressed through the analysis and lessons learned from the testing program, underscoring the iterative nature of hardware validation at this stage of development.
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If the program progresses as planned, the Miura 1 launch could take place toward the end of the year from its base in El Arenosillo, Huelva. The company has begun manufacturing the first unit designed to reach space. The Miura 1 is treated as a technology demonstrator intended to validate roughly 70% of the technologies that will be employed in the later Miura 5, a rocket planned to enable commercial cargo missions. A commissioning timeline points to 2024 for Miura 5 readiness and operations.
Public announcements have also highlighted that PLD Space was among seven companies pre-selected to operate from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, strengthening Spain’s role in Europe’s space ambitions. The manifesto for the project envisions a 2024 launch that would set a cadence for Miura 5 development and flight operations from French Guiana, gradually increasing launches to a goal of 10 to 12 missions per year. The company is actively expanding launch infrastructure in Kourou and coordinating operational needs, while continuing design and production work at Teruel and Elche to support expanded facilities and staff growth.
Plans to meet this milestone include scaling up its technical facilities, with Elche and Teruel expanding production capacity and workforce. The Generalitat recently supported the broader strategy by endorsing new innovation-friendly industrial facilities, and Elche is prepared to increase its team, which currently numbers over 110 professionals with expectations to reach about 200 next year. A December funding round, totaling 25 million euros and led by Arcano Partners with participation from Aciturri and the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology, raised the company’s total external capital to more than 45 million euros. PLD Space now has a decade of experience in advancing its technology and is positioned as the first Spanish company to push rockets toward space.
The company’s leadership emphasized that the recent test milestone conveys a historic achievement for Europe. The head of the company noted that PLD Space became the first private European entity to reach this level of flight readiness, a statement that underscores Spain’s strengthened position in the EU space race. The executive stressed that the milestone reinforces the strategic value of investing in space innovation and talent, highlighting the broader impact on national and continental competitiveness in aerospace technology.