Spain's PLD Space launches private rocket in milestone for Europe
Baku, October 7, AZERTAC
Spanish company PLD Space launched its recoverable Miura-1 rocket early on Saturday from a site in southwest Spain, carrying out Europe's first fully private rocket launch in a glimmer of hope for the region's stalled space ambitions, according to Reuters.
The startup's test nighttime launch from Huelva came after two previous attempts were scrubbed. The Miura-1 rocket, named after a breed of fighting bull, is as tall as a three-storey building and has a 100-kg (220-pound) cargo capacity.
The launch carries a payload for test purposes, but this will not be released, the company said.
Mission control video showed engineers cheering and congratulating one another as the rocket rose into the night sky.
"My voice is shot after so much shouting," said a triumphant Raul Torres, CEO of PLD Space, shortly after the launch.
He said all rocket systems worked "perfectly", adding that the company would now focus on tripling its workforce. "This is just the beginning."
Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on social media: "The launch of the Miura 1, the first rocket with 100% Spanish technology, has been a success. A milestone that positions Spain's research and development at the forefront of space transportation."
The flight lasted 306 seconds. However, its maximum height of 46 kilometres was barely half the altitude its mission planners had hoped for, according to space.com.
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