PLD Space unveils reusable Miura 9 rocket to boost European satellite launches
Spanish aerospace firm PLD Space introduced the Miura 9, a fully reusable launch vehicle designed to carry up to 1.5 tonnes to orbit, with a target completion date of 2028.
At a ceremony attended by President Pedro Sánchez, PLD Space presented Miura 9, a new reusable launch system that expands its payload capacity to roughly 1.5 tonnes for medium-class satellites. The vehicle, standing 42 metres tall with a 3-metre diameter, incorporates nine engines and builds on the earlier Miura 5 Block 1.2 design. The company has secured a contract with the European Space Agency to deliver the rocket by 2028, emphasizing European space sovereignty.
In parallel, PLD Space is finalising the Miura 5, which can lift up to 540 kg, and expects to conduct its inaugural flight from the Kourou launch site after completing ground-support infrastructure. The firm, founded 15 years ago in Elche, has grown its workforce to about 500 employees and is expanding its production facilities to support industrial-scale manufacturing. PLD Space highlighted its role in advancing autonomous European access to space and its contribution to the continent’s emerging launch market.
