PLD Space, with Aciturri, AIRBUS, Air Liquide, ALTER, Anteral, Applus, Caye, CECOM, CMASA, Deimos, INSYTE, LOGO 2, Mecanizados Especiales, OCCAM, Repsol, Swagelok, Talleres Ramón Clemente and Tecno Lanema, has won the PERTE contract from the Spanish Government to develop a micro launcher.
PLD Space obtained the best, technical qualification by the Contracting Board, which positively valued the trajectory and key industrial capacity that guarantee the development of the MIURA 5 as a leading solution for access to space.
PLD Space is the only Spanish company with experience developing launchers and the necessary infrastructure and capacity to develop, manufacture and launch an orbital rocket into space in just two and a half years. Thanks to PERTE, the company will be able to accelerate the development and manufacturing of MIURA 5 and become the first private company in Europe to commercialize space access services.
PLD Space is one of three European companies authorized by the French Space Agency (CNES), through a binding agreement, to operate MIURA 5 from the CSG Space Centre in French Guiana.
The first phase of the PERTE contract, which will start once the documentation is signed, is worth 1.5 million euros for each successful bidder and will focus on the design of the launcher and will close in December of 2023. The tendering body will then evaluate the proposals submitted and the most competitive design will move on to a second phase in 2024, which is valued at 40.5 million euros.
The company is currently immersed in the launch of MIURA 1, which has been fully designed by PLD Space as a technology demonstrator with recovery and reusability requirements that only three companies have achieved in space This first suborbital flight of MIURA 1 is a turning point for the development of the MIURA 5 orbital launcher, as it will allow to extract a large amount of information to validate much of the design and technology that will serve as the basis for the development of the MIURA 5 orbital launcher.
“We are working to facilitate European access to space and very soon we will achieve it. If we want Spain to become the tenth country with direct access to space, we must encourage private-public collaboration, but we cannot replicate in PERTE what has not worked before in ESA programs. We must work together to be more agile and with a different style of leadership and risk-taking. The company’s track record, coupled with its high industrial capabilities and financial strength, together with MIURA 5 supply chain drive and its commercial potential, consolidate PLD Space as one of the reference players in the small space launcher sector at European level, which has been positively assessed by the PERTE aerospace tendering authority.” — Ezequiel Sánchez, CEO, PLD Space”
“Thanks to this contract, Spain and PLD Space will be able to compete in the global market for launch services for satellites of less than 500kg without any complexes. As we have demonstrated in the past, this public contract will allow us to triple the total budget available with private investment, ensuring that we will be able to deliver our first MIURA 5 unit within the demanding timelines set by this contract, and to provide Spain with independent access to space.” — Raúl Verdú, Co-Founder and Business Development Director, PLD Space
“We are progressing at breakneck speed in the development of MIURA 5 thanks to MIURA 1, as we have an integrated team and a clear engineering strategy. Although we failed to launch on the last attempt, we were able to complete all procedures and reach the self-sequence phase on time, with nominal engine start and thrust. All these learnings are being transferred to the development of MIURA 5, so we are making a qualitative leap in its development.” — Raul Torres, CEO and Co-Founder, PLD Space
