19/02/2024
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In brief
ESA signed a first Boost! contract with PLD Space supporting the development of the company’s Miura 5 launch service. Spain’s PLD Space launched the Miura 1 suborbital mission from southern Spain last year, and it is already working on a larger, orbital class launch vehicle, the Miura 5.
In-depth
In October 2023 PLD Space inaugurated the suborbital launch vehicle Miura1 from the El Arenosillo Test Centre in Spain. The rocket is designed to send up to 100 kg up to heights of 150 km above Earth, offering short periods of weightlessness for researchers and other customers.
Miura 5 is the next step in PLD Space launch services portfolio targeting customers who want to launch small satellites into orbit. Set to launch up to 540 kg of hardware to a sun-synchronous orbit, Miura 5 is bigger in every way to Miura 1. The future rocket will be 2 m in diameter and have two stages to propel payloads to orbit – the first stage will eventually be recuperated with parachutes for reuse on later flights.
Modular Miura 5
The contract signed today by ESA and PLD Space supports the Miura 5 launch service development by co-funding to the value of €1.3 million to develop a modular, customisable, payload accommodation system. Designed to release all types of satellites with as much flexibility as possible, the payload system – called MOSPA for Modular Solution for Payload Adapter – will allow PLD Space to offer its customers a wider range of missions and services, including accommodation of CubeSats, nanosatellites and microsatellites. The development of the modular payload adapter will be done in partnership with OCCAM Space.
The goal is to create the hardware to be as light as possible while also being as adaptable as possible to launch more satellites and meet market demands.
“PLD space has proven itself with its first launch last year, and we look forward to seeing the experience applied to the Miura 5 launch services development,” says ESA’s Jorgen Bru, “The payload adapter development engaged today was chosen to increase market competitiveness and ensure that many different types of satellites and customers can fly.”
PLD Space’s Chief Business Development Office Raúl Verdú adds, “The winning of the Boost! contract, an achievement shared with our partner OCCAM Space, is a further testament to this fact, and another vote of confidence from ESA. We are excited to develop a modular, highly flexible, low-cost solution to meet our customers’ accommodation needs aboard Miura 5.”
“OCCAM Space team has a large expertise in structures and mechanisms in the space sector. We are very happy that our MOSPA philosophy and design has been selected to complement the Miura 5 upper stage. We are looking forward to work hand in hand with ESA and PLD Space to bring more competitiveness to the European small launchers market,” says OCCAM Space’s CEO Manuel Serrano.
Miura 5 is aiming for a first flight in 2025, launching from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.