Tuesday, July 18, 2023, 00:23
The third takeoff attempt of Miura 1, the first reusable Spanish rocket, will have to wait until after the summer. This has been confirmed by PLD Space, the Alicante company that built the device that would make Spain enter the space race. “We postpone the launch from September due to the mandatory compliance with the regulations in relation to the prevention of forest fires, the high temperatures in Huelva and the necessary coordination with the Civil Guard,” they explained.
The first launch attempt took place on May 31. Then it was the strong gusts of wind at altitude that aborted the maneuver. A few weeks later, on June 17, the countdown stopped half a second from ending. When everything seemed in order and the engines were on, a technical problem once again prevented the departure of the Miura, a 12.5 meter high rocket named after the well-known breed of bulls. The good news is that it was not damaged, so it will be ready for the next attempt starting in September.
The Miura is just a first step, a technological demonstrator, towards the company’s true objective, the Miura 5, a rocket three times taller and with greater payload capacity. It is expected to take off from French Guiana in 2024. The company has already signed an agreement with the French Space Agency for it to be launched from the ELM-Diamant base in Korou. Among its advantages, decades of experience in this complicated maneuver and being able to reach any orbit.