PLD Space

PLD Space builds the Miura rockets from Elche, Spain. Miura 1, a 12.5 metre suborbital demonstrator, flew once in October 2023, reaching 46 kilometres before splashing down as planned; the vehicle sank and was not recovered. The real product is Miura 5, a two-stage orbital launcher for small satellites, to fly from the European spaceport at Kourou with a recoverable first stage planned.

Raul Torres and Raul Verdu started it in 2011 as Spain's first private rocket company, and the bet has become a European one: ESA's shift to buying launches from competing private providers leaves room for a Spanish champion. ESA preselected the company for its European Launcher Challenge in 2025, and Mitsubishi Electric led its 2026 funding round, taking priority access to Miura 5 flights in the bargain.

Everything now depends on an unflown rocket, a new pad at Kourou, and out-executing Isar, RFA and MaiaSpace for the same institutional customers. The maiden flight has already slipped from early 2026 to late in the year, and the company is fifteen years old with one 46 kilometre flight behind it. The tank burst tests, turbopump qualification and design reviews it cleared in 2025 are real progress; orbit is still ahead.