The bet was ambitious. The Miura 1, the first rocket 'made in Spain' created from scratch by the company based in Elche (Alicante) PLD Space, had to rise 150 kilometers above our heads in a parabolic trajectory lasting 12 minutes to end up making a splashdown. soft' thanks to a huge parachute over the Atlantic Ocean. In the end, the weather, an unpredictable and unbeatable enemy, has been the one who has decided that PLD Space's ambitious plans, for now, will have to wait. The initial time scheduled for takeoff was 6:30 AM local time, although a two-hour delay was recorded due to "anomalous behavior in the LOX (liquid oxygen) load," as confirmed by the company through its social networks. . A problem that was eventually corrected by completing the filling of the tanks. A few minutes before the launch the critical moment arrived: the 'go, no go' (ready, not ready, in Spanish). In this systems check, each and every one of the parameters must be green for the launch to be approved. Among them, the section dedicated to the weather stood out in red: although there was no rain forecast, the strong gusts of wind prevented the launch of the Miura 1. "In the next few days we will try a new launch," they say from PLD Space without giving even more specific details. Desktop Code 🔴 We canceled 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.
Thank you and #VamosMIURA!— PLD Space (@PLD_Space)
May 31, 2023
Image for mobile, amp and app Mobile code 🔴 We canceled 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.
Thank you and #VamosMIURA!— PLD Space (@PLD_Space)
May 31, 2023
AMP code 🔴 We canceled 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.
Thank you and #VamosMIURA!— PLD Space (@PLD_Space)
May 31, 2023
APP Code 🔴 We canceled 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.
Thank you and #VamosMIURA!— PLD Space (@PLD_Space)
May 31, 2023
This 12-meter microlauncher with a load capacity of 100 kilos aims to be reusable, in the image and likeness of Elon Musk's Falcon. Its intention is to enter the satellite market, a sector that moves around 300,000 million euros worldwide. It will also serve science, housing different microgravity experiments inside. Everything learned with Miura 1 will be used to soon build and test the Miura 5, a very similar rocket but three times as big, "like a ten-story building," they say. Miura 5 will carry loads of up to 450 kilos, expandable up to a ton and will carry out its first flights in 2024. Related News standard No The story behind the Miura, the first Spanish rocket P. Biosca Behind the project is the private equity company PLD Space , based in Elche and created by Raúl Verdú and Raúl Torres, the designers of the launcher The Dream of Some University Students Behind the rocket, the names of Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdú, who met more than a decade ago at the University, resonate strongly. Miguel Hernández, from Elche (Alicante) and who have shared a dream for 12 years: building their own rocket. Ezequiel Sánchez, current executive president of the company and the third visible head of PLD Space, joined in 2019 after a difficult moment both at a business and technological level: during a test, one of the engines ended up exploding and the design had to be rethought. That's where Sánchez came in, who despite not having experience in the aerospace world, did not hesitate to be part of the team. «It is one of those moments in companies in which either everything goes down or it turns out to be a boost. In our case, we came out renewed from all that," said Sánchez. The company's setbacks did not end there. Before transporting it to Huelva last March, several readjustments had to be carried out. For example, the material of the rocket structure itself changed from steel to aluminum; or changes were made to the fins, the airbrakes, the parachute and the area in which the loads will travel to space. "We know that many challenges await us, although we are certain that we will be able to solve them," concluded the executive president of PLD Space. The El Arenosillo facilities, in Huelva, belong to the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) and are the only place enabled, for the moment, for launches from Spain (although PLD Space's intention is that, in the future, its rockets take off from Teruel airport). The static test (hot test), which consists of keeping the engine on at full capacity for 5 seconds to check the perfect functioning of different rocket parameters and systems (starting system, rocket temperature and pressure) in a simulation environment, was successfully completed in the middle of this month. "Every second in the air will be a success" The optimism that reigned in PLD Space seemed to crumble a little as the moment approached. "In this experimental flight, our definition of success is that the rocket moves as far away from the launch platform as possible," the company stated. »We are aware that today it is an achievement for us, the industry and all of Spain to be able to place Miura 1 on the take-off ramp, and every second it is in the air is learning and data for the development of Miura 5» . Some words that sound very similar, precisely, to those that Musk pronounces before his tests, accustomed to the explosions of his 'toys' (the last time a month ago, in the notorious test of his Starship megarocket) and whose motto is ' make mistakes quickly, learn faster'. Finally, the wind has decided that this Wednesday, May 31, the Miura 1 will not take off for the first time. We will have to wait for the next occasion, if the weather permits.