PLD Space is ready to launch its Miura 1 rocket from 'Spain's Cape Canaveral.'
Miura 1 will be Spain's first rocket to go to space, but it will also be Europe's first reusable rocket, helping it meet the booming demand for small payload launches to low Earth orbit , spurred by the likes of SpaceX and Rocket Lab.Originally called Arion 1, Miura 1 is 12.5-meters tall, and it has a payload capacity of 100 kg . As a point of comparison, SpaceX's Falcon 9 carries 25,000 kilograms to LEO, and Rocket Lab's Electron lifts between 200–300 kg .
In 1966, NASA contracted the Spanish Government to launch meteorological rockets in order to study wind and temperature variations in the first 100 km of altitude of the atmosphere. As a result, , a facility that some now refer to as the country's, and indeed Europe's, own version of Cape Canaveral., the facility, which is run by Spain's Ministry of Defense, has launched more than 550 sounding rockets. It is also graced by sunny weather and mild temperatures for 85 percent of the year, making it an ideal launch location.
PLD Space is also developing another rocket, Miura 5, which will have a much larger payload capacity of 450 kilograms . Unlike Miura 1, that rocket will launch small satellite payloads to LEO, and it's expected to launch from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, instead of El Arenosillo, by 2024. France-based rocket firm ArianeGroup is also developing a new small-lift reusable rocket called Maïa, though that's not expected to be operational until 2026., French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said, "we will have our SpaceX, we will have our Falcon 9. We will make up for a bad strategic choice made ten years ago.
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