Spanish company PLD Space is planning to make its first orbital launch of the Miura 5 rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana in early 2026, PLD Space CEO Raul Torres said on Friday.
"The Miura 5 rocket will be ready in two years. By the end of 2025, it will be ready for the first launch," Torres told a press conference.
The company’s CEO added that the rocket would be transported to the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana for launch in early 2026.
In early October, PLD Space launched the Miura 1 suborbital rocket. The mission lasted 306 seconds and ended with the rocket’s splashdown into the Atlantic Ocean. Nevertheless, the company considered the launch a success and plans to use the data collected during the construction and launch of Miura 1 to build a larger Miura 5 rocket, according to PLD Space.
Many people have expressed interest in the construction and launch of Miura 5, declaring intention to sign contracts that are expected to total 320 million euros ($338 million), a sum sufficient for 10-12 launches of the rocket, the company said.
In 2021, PLD Space unveiled the single-stage Miura 1 suborbital rocket, which stands 41 feet tall. The rocket was originally scheduled to launch in 2020, but the liftoff was delayed due to problems with engine testing.