Raúl Torres, one of the founders of PLD Space, the Alicante company that built Miura1, seemed to recover in health hours before the launch of the rocket that was to put Spain in the space race by becoming the tenth country with the capacity to send satellites. to space. «All possibilities are on the table, including success. Taking off and not destroying the platform will be key. We hope to have the beginner’s luck, and, if not, to collect as much information for the future. The message was reminiscent of Elon Musk’s with the first flight test of the Starship, the largest and most powerful space device ever created. The flamboyant American tycoon promised excitement but warned that something was likely to go wrong. In his case, the countdown stopped 40 seconds before launch because a valve had frozen. In the case of the Miura, it was the gusts of wind at altitude that prevented the operation. As announced by the company, the possibilities of making a new attempt will be analyzed in the coming weeks.
🔴 We cancel the first launch attempt of #MIURA1 due to winds at altitude between km8 and 12, higher than those recommended for safety. We will return with more information in the next window.
Thanks and #VamosMIURA!
— PLD Space (@PLD_Space) May 31, 2023
Before the final cancellation, announced at 8:30 a.m., a technical problem had paralyzed the countdown at the Médano del Loro military shooting range, in Huelva. At 6:40 a.m., the company reported “anomalous behavior” in the liquid oxygen loading. «Analyzing anomalous behavior in the main LOX reservoir of the launch pad. The process is being abnormally slow,” reported Torres, also director of the launch, on his social networks. There were a few minutes of uncertainty that were finally corrected until the atmospheric conditions ruined this first test.
The takeoff maneuver of a rocket requires a surface wind speed of no more than 20km/h, the atmosphere must also be calm at altitude and there must be no nearby storm. It was the second of these requirements, with speeds greater than 20m/s and gusts of up to 30m/s between kilometers 8 and 12, which did not allow the green light to be given for the launch. “Prudence asks us not to move forward,” underlines the co-founder with Raúl Verdú of PLD Space, created in 2011 when they were only 23 and 22 years old respectively.
We have been monitoring the winds at altitude all night, with values greater than 20m/s and gusts of up to 30m/s between km 8 and 12. Prudence tells us not to advance. Thanks to everyone and in particular to the team @intaespana CEDEA for its collaboration. #VamosMIURA! https://t.co/YPE10lD4TI
— Raúl Torres🇪🇸 (@RaulTorresPLD) May 31, 2023
A test platform for the Miura 5
The Miura 1, named in honor of the renowned Spanish breed of bull, measures 12.5 meters – far from the 120 of Musk’s Starship – and is designed to lift payloads of 250 kilos to more than 150 kilometers in height. On this first flight, which should last about twelve minutes, she carried 100 kilos of material from the German Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity to a maximum altitude of 153 kilometers.
If it had been able to take off, the device would have made a parabolic flight and then began its return, a maneuver it performs at 2,700 kilometers per hour. To stop its descent, it has a parachute that cushions its impact on the ocean, where the recovery ship, the ‘Libertad 6’, and another support ship, the ‘Nervio’, were waiting for it. And the Miura is designed to be reusable, a key aspect to save costs in an industry like aerospace, supported until a few years ago with the financial muscle of powers such as the United States, Russia and China and now promoted by millionaires like the aforementioned Musk or Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. «To date, of the sixty rockets that have been developed in the world, only two companies have made them reusable: Space X -Musk’s company-, and Blue Origin -Bezos-. Our rocket was conceived like this from the beginning. 60% of its components can be recovered from Miura 1,” highlights Ezequiel Sánchez, executive president of PLD Space.
Before today’s attempt, the rocket had to pass several tests. The most recent took place on Wednesday, May 17, when it successfully passed a five-second ‘hot test’ (static ignition). Previously, in September, several functional validation tests and three static ignitions of 5, 20 and 122 seconds were carried out. The latter, known as a flight mission test, simulates all the conditions of a real launch, only without actually flying.
The Miura 1 is a test platform for the company’s true objective, the Miura 5, an orbital vehicle three times taller – it reaches 34.4 meters – and with the capacity to transport 540 kilos of cargo. It is expected to take off in 2024 from Kourou, French Guiana. PLD Space, which has more than a hundred employees and facilities in Elche, Teruel and Huelva, has already achieved more than 60 million euros of investment to promote its project in the space sector and expects to achieve a turnover of up to 150 million euros. annual.
Rocket test benches
Launch pad
Capable of loading 100 kg in up to four compartments.
Designed to host experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight lasts 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB storage
Telemetry systems
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
Composite Coated Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
Tested for 122 seconds (time required for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests
The system is designed to be rescued after landing, which will allow the devices sent to space and the launch rocket itself to be recovered, which is reused.
Rocket test benches
Launch pad
Capable of carrying 100 kg in up to four independent compartments
Designed to host experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight lasts 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB storage
Telemetry systems
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
Composite Coated Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
Tested for 122 seconds (time required for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests
The system is designed to be rescued after landing, which will allow the devices sent to space and the launch rocket itself to be recovered, which is reused.
Rocket test benches
Launch pad
Capable of loading 100 kg in up to four compartments.
Independent compartments
Designed to host experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight lasts 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB storage
Telemetry systems
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
fuel tanks
Composite Coated Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
Tested for 122 seconds (time required for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests
The system is designed to be rescued after landing, which will allow the devices sent to space and the launch rocket itself to be recovered, which is reused.
Rocket test benches
Launch pad
Capable of transporting 100 kg in up to four compartments.
Independent compartments
Designed to host experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight lasts 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB storage
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
fuel tanks
Composite Coated Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
The system is designed to be rescued after landing, which will allow the devices sent to space and the launch rocket itself to be recovered, which is reused.
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
(Spanish Reusable Space Propulsion Technology for Launchers)
Tested for 122 seconds (time required for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests