Nor could it have been the second time. When everything seemed to be in order and the engines were on and ready, a technical problem less than half a second from the end of the countdown forced the launch of the Miura 1 to be aborted. «We had an automatic Abort due to the NO release of the avionics umbilicals, the rest were free and the engine at nominal thrust”, explained Raúl Torres, co-founder of PLD Space, the company from Alicante that has built the first reusable Spanish rocket. The good news is that the contraption has not suffered any damage and will be ready for a new takeoff attempt when what happened is analyzed and the weather conditions are good. This could already be even after the summer. Spain will have to wait for a new attempt to enter the relaunched space race, since it would be the tenth country with the capacity to send small satellites into space.
Although the engine had reached its nominal thrust, the launch of MIURA 1 was aborted.
An umbilical would not have separated from the launcher.We wish good luck to our Spanish neighbors from PLD Space. https://t.co/yYVStBkkEd
— GoForLaunch ?? (@AuDelaDeLOrbite) June 17, 2023
We have had an automatic Abort due to the NO release of the avionics umbilicals, the rest were free and the engine at nominal thrust. 0.25 second margin. #MIURA1 it’s healthy. We analyze the data to have more information. @PLD_Space
— Raúl Torres?? (@RaulTorresPLD) June 17, 2023
The incident occurred at 2:43 in the morning. Until then everything had gone according to plan. PLD Space had announced on Friday afternoon that a launch window would open between two in the morning and ten in the morning on Saturday, June 17. A process began that began with the closure of the accesses to the Médano del Loro military shooting range, in Huelva, where the launch ramp is located. Around eleven o’clock at night, the checks for fuel loading were carried out. An hour later it was announced that the recovery ship, the ‘Libertad 6’, and its support, the ‘Nervio’, were in position. There was no news about the weather, which in these maneuvers is always positive. The countdown continued. Until around three in the morning the engines started and the failure that forced the process to stop was detected.
Bad weather prevented the first attempt
The first launch attempt took place on May 31. On that occasion it was the bad weather conditions that put an end to the takeoff manoeuvre. Speeds of more than 20 meters per second and gusts of up to 30 between kilometers 8 and 12 were detected. “Prudence asks us not to advance,” said Raúl Torres. A little over a week later, on June 9, everything was ready for a new attempt, as reported by the company on social networks. “Our launch operations team, launch pad, ground infrastructure and equipment ready for the next opportunity,” they noted. It would not be possible that same weekend due to the squall Oscar. A maneuver of this type requires almost perfect weather conditions. The surface wind speed cannot exceed 20km/h, the atmosphere must also be calm at altitude and there must not be any nearby storms.
The Miura 1, named after the renowned Spanish bull breed, is 12.5 meters high and is designed to lift payloads of 250 kilos more than 150 kilometers high. On this first flight, which should last about twelve minutes, it is expected to carry 100 kilos of material from the German Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity and to reach a maximum height of 153 kilometers. Soon it will also incorporate a new satellite antenna from the Navarre company Anteral and engineers from the ESA’s High Power Radiofrequency Laboratory in Valencia. Its function is to keep the launcher connected to the ground during flight.
Once that height is reached, it will begin the return, a maneuver that it performs at 2,700 kilometers per hour. To stop his descent, he has a parachute that cushions his impact in the ocean, where the aforementioned ‘Libertad 6’ and ‘Nervio’ will await him. And it is that the Miura is designed to be 60% reusable, a key aspect to save costs in an industry such as aerospace, sustained until a few years ago with the financial muscle of powers such as the United States, Russia and China and now promoted by millionaires like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
Future plans
This rocket, small when compared to the 120-meter giant Starship of Twitter owner and Tesla founder, is a test platform for the company’s real goal, the Miura 5, an orbital vehicle three times as tall – it reaches 34.4 meters – and with the capacity to transport 540 kilos of cargo. It is expected that it can take off in 2024 from Kourou, in French Guiana. PLD Space, which has more than a hundred employees and is looking to hire another 40, has facilities in Elche, Teruel and Huelva. After achieving more than 60 million euros of investment, they hope to reach a turnover of up to 150 million euros per year.
Rocket test beds
Launch pad
Capable of loading up to 100 kg in four compartments.
Designed to house experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight takes 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB of storage
telemetry systems
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
Composite Lined Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 to -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
Tested for 122 seconds (time needed for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests
The system is designed to be able to be rescued after splashing down, which will make it possible to recover the devices sent into space and the launcher itself, which is reused.
Rocket test beds
Launch pad
Capable of loading 100 kg in up to four independent compartments
Designed to house experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight takes 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB of storage
telemetry systems
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
Composite Lined Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 to -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
Tested for 122 seconds (time needed for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests
The system is designed to be able to be rescued after splashing down, which will make it possible to recover the devices sent into space and the launcher itself, which is reused.
Rocket test beds
Launch pad
Capable of loading up to 100 kg in four compartments.
independent compartments
Designed to house experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight takes 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB of storage
telemetry systems
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
fuel tanks
Composite Lined Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 to -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
Tested for 122 seconds (time needed for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests
The system is designed to be able to be rescued after splashing down, which will make it possible to recover the devices sent into space and the launcher itself, which is reused.
Rocket test beds
Launch pad
Capable of carrying 100 kg in up to four compartments.
independent compartments
Designed to house experiments in microgravity for 3-4 minutes. The entire flight takes 12 minutes.
25 kg per compartment
28V power
0.8 Mb/s data flow
16GB of storage
Load distribution management
mass at takeoff
fuel tanks
Composite Lined Helium Pressure Vessel
Cryogenic liquid oxygen tank (1,100 to -182ºC)
Kerosene tank (600 l)
The system is designed to be able to be rescued after splashing down, which will make it possible to recover the devices sent into space and the launcher itself, which is reused.
TEPREL-B engine developed by PLD Space
(Spanish Reusable Space Propulsion Technology for Launchers)
Tested for 122 seconds (time needed for flight)
Less than 5G acceleration during climb
One of more than 100 engine tests
