It’s barely been a month since the Miura 1, the first Spanish rocket successfully took off from the INTA base located in Huelva. However, since PLD Spacethe company in charge of its manufacture, have not wasted any time and already have their sights set on the next step: the Miura 5which was presented by the two creators of the company last night, in The Hormiguereither.
There is no 2, nor 3, nor 4. After the test with the Miura 1, of which there is still another rocket to be launched, the next step will be the fine-tuning of the Miura 5. And this will be precisely the one that will be used in the future to carry out private missionssuch as launching satellites into space.
Without a doubt, the development of these rockets has been a great milestone for Spanish science, since to date there are very few countries that have built their own rockets or have launched them from their territory. The space race It is no longer just a thing of the United States and the Soviet Union, as it was in the past. Other public agencies have joined it, such as the European Space Agency, but also many private agencies. This has opened the doors to the creation of countless new vehicles that would have seemed like an unattainable dream just a few decades ago. With Miura 1 and Miura 5, Spain has decided not to be left behind. But what else do we know about the rocket that left last night in The Anthill And his little cousin?
Almost complete success for Miura 1
Before launching the Spanish rocket Miura 5PLD Space has wanted to carry out tests with Miura 1. The launch took place on October 7, after two Previous missions aborted.
On this occasion, almost everything went as planned. There was only one problem and that is that, although it is designed to be a recoverable rocket, after releasing its load, during the test it diverted its return trajectory and It was lost in the Atlantic.
In case something like this happens, PLD Space has another Miura 1, so it is not ruled out that they do a new test before launching the Miura 5. At the moment, there are no dates and last night in The Anthill They didn’t make much reference to it.
The incredible qualities of the Spanish Miura 5 rocket
Miura 5 will be a private rocket, which can be contracted to carry out orbital flights and deposit charges in space.
It is made up of two stages, expandable to 3. With them, you will achieve almost 30 meters high and 1.8 meters in diameter. As the founders of the company explained last night in El Hormiguero, Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdútogether with its executive president, Ezequiel Sanchez, the rocket will be able to carry loads the size of a car without problem. It could even transport masses of 500 kg.
The three PLD Space representatives brought to the program the casing of a piece known as Coping. This will be the one that protects the loads of the Spanish rocket, opening in half already in space and letting out its contents.
Waiting to see if a third phase is added, the first two stages of Miura 5, like those of other rockets, have different functions. The first stage is responsible for carrying out the first part of the trip, placing the rocket in space at high speed and following a marked trajectory. This consists of five engines. On the other hand, the second stage, once separated from the first, is the one that finishes transporting the load, moving in the voidin this case with a single engine.
Initially, the test launch of Miura 5 was planned for the end of 2022. However, it has finally been planned for 2024. Curiously, this time it will not be launched from Spain, but from the Kourou Spaceport, belonging to the European Space Agency and located in French Guiana. After signing the agreement, the Spanish rocket became one of the few private operators that will be able to launch from this place.
Spain is not left behind in the space race
Miura 1 and Miura 5 have been designed and manufactured by PLD Space, a company based in Alicante. The launch of Miura 1 took place from Huelva. Therefore, this first rocket has been developed and launched in Spain. This joins our country to a very select list of countries with the capacity to make and launch rockets.
Until now, the only countries with the capacity to launch rockets and put them into orbit from their territory were United States, Russia, India, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, Iran and French Guiana. As for those who have built rockets for a space program of their own, they include United States, France, Japan, China, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and India.
With PLD Space, Spain has entered fully into both lists. The Minister of Science of Spain, Diana Morant, wanted to highlight that this has been a milestone of Spanish science and engineering. And so it is. The truth is that it has not been a small step, but rather a big stride. But, without a doubt, it will be a great step for humanity. Because the space race is finally not conceived as something for a few. We are all part of it.