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Date Published: 27/06/2023

Launch of Spanish space rocket delayed until September

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This will be the third attempt to send the Spanish ship into space

Launch of Spanish space rocket delayed until September

Space enthusiasts will have to wait until some time in September to witness the launch of the first Spanish-made rocket, the Miura 1. Developed by the company PLD Space in El Arenosillo in the Andalucian province of Huelva, the initial launch attempt was aborted back on May 31 due to strong winds.

Now, a combination of factors including soaring temperatures and the high risk of wildfires means that the momentous event will have to wait until the summer season is over.

PLD indicated in a statement this week that it has agreed with the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) to open new launch windows from September 1, which will also comply with the Guardia Civil’s requirements to have the area fully secured prior to the action.

Following the first attempt, scientists again tried unsuccessfully to sent the Miura 1 into space on June 17, but this effort was also scuppered when one of the cables connecting the rocket to the avionics bay released 0.25 seconds late, causing an automatic abort sequence to shut down the engines. Luckily though, both the rocket and the launch pad are still in perfect condition.

In this sense, the CEO and co-founder of PLD Space, Raúl Torres, explained that launching a rocket designed from scratch is "a major challenge" and "99.9% of all the procedures prior to launch were successfully completed, reaching countdown".

"The entire pre-launch phase was a resounding success and we are very close to successfully launching Europe's first reusable rocket, which has recovery and reusability requirements that only three companies in space history have achieved," he added.

All going well in September, the Miura 1 will become the first private European rocket to be launched into space, where it will carry out a ‘suborbital’ flight – this means it will rise to a height of 150 kilometres but won’t completely circle the Earth.

In other news: Heatwaves in Spain killed 20 per cent more people in the summer of 2022

Image: PLD Space

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