PLD Space, an international space transportation company, has announced a major thirty-five million euro investment to develop and deploy its orbital launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana.
Strengthening European Sovereign Space Infrastructure
Announced during the Choose France event in Versailles, this capital expenditure establishes PLD Space as the first private operator to deploy funding at this scale at the historic ELM-Diamant site, marking a significant milestone in the diversification of Europe’s primary spaceport.
The expansion is strategically designed to provide European institutional and commercial payloads with dedicated access to space from European soil using a European-manufactured launcher. By creating this independent infrastructure, the company intends to directly support Europe’s long-term strategic autonomy and sovereign orbital access amid a highly competitive global launch market.
Integrating Local Industry and Regional Economics
A significant portion of the capital is being directly funneled into the regional industrial ecosystem. Of the total allocation, twenty-two million euros will be executed within the broader French industrial network, with thirteen million euros explicitly designated for more than twenty companies and small-to-medium enterprises based locally in French Guiana.
According to official economic multipliers for the regional space sector, this infrastructure push is projected to generate roughly twenty-one million euros in local value added. The heavy construction phase will temporarily sustain between two hundred and fifty and two hundred and seventy-five indirect and induced regional jobs, while the completion of the pad will create thirty-five permanent, direct positions to support recurring orbital operations.
Finalizing the Miura 5 Launch Complex
Civil works for the Miura 5 orbital launch complex are currently entering their final phase, with structural completion anticipated by the summer of this year. Simultaneously, the parallel integration of the primary launch pad infrastructure is being completed at the company’s facilities in Spain. These modular elements are now being prepared for shipping to Kourou, where they will be assembled in collaboration with the French National Centre for Space Studies to create a fully operational facility.
PLD Space remains on schedule to conduct the inaugural test flight of its reusable Miura 5 vehicle from the upgraded Guiana Space Centre before the end of 2026. Executive President Ezequiel Sánchez emphasized that establishing this independent footprint not only expands the industrial base of the spaceport but also secures a highly scalable, competitive, and autonomous launch capability for the continent’s emerging commercial space ecosystem.
