PLD Space, the company that designs, develops, produces, and operates the first private launcher in Europe, has postponed the launch of MIURA 1 until next September after reaching an agreement with the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) belonging to the Ministry of Defence.

The postponement is motivated by the obligatory fulfillment of the prevention of forest fires collected in the Law 43/2003 of Montes; and Directive 03/19 of the Army Chief of Staff on "Actions against forest fires in the maneuvering and firing ranges and other properties assigned to the Army", as well as the high temperatures registered in Huelva and the necessary coordination with the Civil Guard to guarantee the security of the area where the launch takes place.

A successful pre-launch: 0.25 seconds away from making history

After having postponed the launch on May 31 due to the strong high-altitude winds registered in Huelva, PLD Space had to abort the launch of MIURA 1 on June 17 due to one of the umbilical cables that connect the rocket with the avionics bay was released at 0.25 seconds late, resulting in the next umbilical not being released in time, causing an automatic abort sequence that shut down the engines and halted launch. Both the rocket and the launch pad are in perfect condition.

Raúl Torres, CEO and co-founder of PLD Space highlights: "Launching a rocket designed from scratch is a major challenge and we successfully completed 99.9% of all pre-launch procedures, reaching the countdown. The entire launch phase The pre-launch 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 3 companies in space history have achieved."

Click here to learn more about MIURA 1 by PLD Space.