Launch Of Spain’s Historic Miura 1 Rocket Cancelled Minutes Before Takeoff

The scheduled launch of the Miura 1 rocket was cancelled once again, just minutes before it was due to take off this morning, Saturday, June 17.

Spain’s historic first launch from El Arenosillo in Huelva was scrapped at the last minute due to a problem with the ignition of the engine.

According to a tweet from Raúl Torres, the co-founder and launch director of PLD Space, the takeoff of the spaceship was automatically aborted.

“We have had an automatic ‘Abort’ due to the NO release of the avionics umbilicals, the rest were free and the engine at nominal thrust. 0.25 second margin. The Miura 1 is healthy. We analysed the data to have more information”, he wrote.

Hemos tenido un Abort automático debido a la NO liberación de los umbilicales de aviónica, el resto estaban libres y el motor a empuje nominal. 0,25 segundos de margen. #MIURA1 esta sano. Analizamos los datos para disponer de más información. @PLD_Space

— Raúl Torres???????? (@RaulTorresPLD) June 17, 2023

In a tweet later today, Torres insisted: “We will finish the full study of the launch attempt and come back soon with a new launch date, summer and heat permitting. One thing is certain @PLD_Space does not give up. We are a professional and capable team. Flying is a matter of time #VamosMIURA !”.

Terminaremos el estudio completo del intento de lanzamiento y volveremos pronto con una nueva fecha de lanzamiento, si el periodo estival y el calor lo permite. Una cosa es cierta @PLD_Space no se rinde. Somos un equipo profesional y capaz.Volar es cuestión de tiempo #VamosMIURA!

— Raúl Torres???????? (@RaulTorresPLD) June 17, 2023

PLD Space added: “@RaulTorresPLD accompanied by @ingverdu and @ezequielsanchez: ‘Having been able to complete all the procedures and reach the auto-sequence phase in time, engine start and nominal thrust is a success. 99.9% of all the processes have been a success”.

@RaulTorresPLD acompañado por @ingverdu y @ezequielsanchez: “Haber sido capaces de completar todos los procedimientos y llegar a la fase de auto secuencia en tiempo, arranque de motor y empuje nominal es un éxito. El 99,9% de todos los procesos han sido un éxito”.#VamosMIURA pic.twitter.com/51TaLQ44ug

— PLD Space (@PLD_Space) June 17, 2023

Miura 1’s previous launch was cancelled at the last minute on May 31

A previous attempt to launch Miura 1 was cancelled five minutes before its takeoff on May 31 due to the presence of strong winds blowing at the site in Huelva.

At 12.5 metres high, the Miura 1 rocket uses liquid fuel that is designed to lift payloads of 100 kilos to an altitude of 150 km.

It is eventually expected to make a 12-minute flight in which 3 minutes of microgravity can be achieved to conduct experiments. The return of the launcher will be facilitated by a parachute into the sea, from where it will be safely recovered with the payload.

Miura 1 is a technology demonstrator for PLD Space’s ultimate goal of launching a much larger orbital rocket, Miura 5, in 2024.

That would place Spain among the small number of countries with the capacity to successfully send small satellites into space.

PLD Space emphasised that: “Every second that Miura 1 is in the air, it will be a second of success and a milestone”.

According to the company, among the main objectives of this mission is to collect: “as much flight data as possible. This fact will be very important to determine potential improvements or changes for the future Miura 5 orbital launcher”.

During its flight, the launcher will try to achieve microgravity conditions for the payloads travelling on board. This is something that will occur after the MECO (engine shutdown) event and the start of the ballistic flight phase.

This first mission will allow PLD Space to verify the operation of ‘key’ technologies in flight, something that to date they have not yet been able to do.

PLD Space will use the first flight to analyse Miura 1’s behaviour under real conditions

Specifically, they will analyse the thrust profile of the engine in flight conditions, as well as the aerodynamic behaviour of the launcher, its nominal trajectory tracking, the nominal behaviour of all subsystems under real conditions, and its reaction while exposed to real space conditions.

Miura 1 was developed at the PLD Space facilities in Elche, where the first tests were carried out in the municipality of Teruel.

However, since March, the project has been transferred to the Cedea facilities in El Arenosillo, where the launch will finally be carried out from Médano del Loro.