Elche. 14 June 2023. PLD Space, the Spanish company that designs, develops, and manufactures Europe's first private micro launcher, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European space transportation operator, Arianespace. With this MoU, both companies will study possible future cooperation to answer customers’ request for an increased capacity of access to Space.
Ezequiel Sánchez, Executive President of PLD Space, says: "Potential collaboration with strategic partners such as Arianespace is further proof of our commitment to increase Europe's commercial space access capability at a time when it is most needed. Furthermore, this agreement consolidates PLD Space's position in the European space industry ".
Pablo Gallego Sanmiguel, Senior Vice President, Sales & Customers of PLD Space, says: “The Premium Service proposed by PLD Space will provide to the customer optimized launch solutions such as to address the highly demanded deployment of small constellations or combination of multiple small satellites. A potential collaboration could facilitate solutions highly demanded by our customers, providing the SmallSat community with the assurance to get to any orbit at any time.”
Europe's first private micro launcher operator
PLD Space is at a particularly important moment with the imminent launch of the first experimental flight MIURA 1 SN1, which had to be postponed last May 31 due to weather conditions.
MIURA 1 is the first private micro launcher developed in Europe. It has been fully designed by PLD Space as a technology demonstrator with recovery and reusability requirements that only 3 companies have achieved in space history. This first demonstration flight is a turning point for the development of the MIURA 5 micro-satellite launcher, as the MIURA 1 SN1 mission will validate much of the design and technology that will serve as the basis for the development of the MIURA 5 orbital launcher, whose maiden flight is targeted in 2025, a plan that will progressively increase to 10 to 12 launches per year by the end of this decade.
About PLD Space
PLD Space is a benchmark company in the aerospace sector and the first to launch a private micro launcher in Europe. Headquartered in Elche (Alicante), PLD Space designs, builds, manufactures, and commercializes reusable orbital micro launchers that send small satellites into space that materialize in the suborbital MIURA 1 and the orbital MIURA 5.
PLD Space was founded in 2011 by Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdú with the aim of increasing Europe’s access to space. Currently, the company -which has obtained more than 65 million in financing to date- has a workforce of more than 120 professionals distributed in three production centers located in Elche, Teruel and Huelva, totaling more than 20,000 square meters of industrial facilities.
