PLD Space
 | |
 Headquarters of PLD Space inElche, Spain | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Launch service provider |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Raúl Torres, Raúl Verdú and José Enrique Martínez |
| Fate | Active |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Raúl Torres(co-founder & CEO);Raúl Verdú(co-founder & COO) |
| Products | TEPREL rocket engine Miura 1 rocket Miura 5 rocket |
| Services | Suborbital & orbital rocket launch; Rocket engine testing |
Number of employees | 250+ (October 2024) |
| Website | pldspace |
Payload Aerospace S.L.(PLD Space) is a Spanish company developing two partially-reusablelaunch vehiclescalledMiura 1andMiura 5.
Miura 1is designed as asounding rocketforsub-orbitalflights to perform research or technology development inmicrogravityenvironment and/or in theupper atmosphere.Furthermore,Miura 1is also serving as the technological demonstrator of the orbital launcherMiura 5.Miura 5 will provide orbital launch capabilities for small payloads such asCubeSats,that need a flexible and dedicated launch vehicle and therefore can not fly with traditional launch vehicles. It is being designed to deliver a total payload mass up to 900 kg (2,000 lb) intolow Earth orbit.[1][2]
Recovery of the first stage would be by the use of parachutes andsplashdownfor re-use.
History
[edit]PLD Space was founded in 2011 by Raúl Torres, Raúl Verdú and José E. Martínez inElche, Spain,and as of 2019 it employed 70 people. In August 2017 the company headquarter moved to new facilities in the Elche Industrial Park, where the assembly facilities for Miura 1 are located.[3]
Since 2014, the company has operated an engine test stand located at theAirport in Teruel,[4]where they performed the first test of its liquid fuel engine on July 1, 2015.[5]It was the first time a liquid rocket engine was tested in Spain, and the first time a private company in Europe tested a liquid rocket engine on its own facilities. As of 2018, PLD Space had plans to expand their test facilities to include a vertical test stand to qualify the complete Miura 1 suborbital rocket.[6]
In early August 2018, PLD Space and theTeruel AirportConsortium signed the concession of a 13,337 m2space at the airport for the PLD Space to test launcher technology. The agreement has a period of 25 years, with the option of an additional 10-year extension. PLD Space will investeuro€1M in infrastructure for the construction of a new control room, offices, access paths, a rocket engine maintenance hangar and a new test bench to test the complete Miura 1 rocket.[7]
In November 2018 PLD Reached an agreement withINTA(transl. 'National Institute for Aerospace Technology "Esteban Terradas" ') to launchMiura 1fromEl Arenosillo.[8]The agreement is not limited to using the INTA facilities for launching but rather establishing a lasting relationship that will allow them to develop scientific, aerospace and technical knowledge.
In July 2019, PLD Space reached an agreement withCNESto study the launch ofMiura 5fromCSG,French Guiana.[9]As part of their agreement, INTA is also helping them procure a launch site, beingEl Hierro Launch Centrethe best option from a technical point of view.[10]
As of March 2023, the company planned to launch their firstMiura 1vehicle in the second quarter of 2023 fromEl Arenosillo Test Centre.[11]The launch successfully occurred on 7 October 2023 at 0:19 UTC.[citation needed]
Funding
[edit]
The company has been funded through a series of investment rounds from both institutional and private sources, raising a total of 120 million euros by June 2024.
Up to 2013 had gathered investments worth approximately $10 million.[citation needed]In 2013 they closed a $1.6 million investment round,[12]including a seed contract with the Spanish Government through theCentre for the Development of Industrial Technology(CDTI).[citation needed]
In December 2015, PLD Space secured its first commercial contract as one of the partners in the Small Innovative Launcher for Europe (SMILE) program with the European Commission and theGerman Aerospace Center(DLR). The company contracted to test liquid propulsion engines for the DLR at its propulsion test facilities in the airport of Teruel.[13][14]In April 2016, PLD Space secured a further $1.56 million from Spain'sTEPRELreusable launcher engine program.TEPREL(Acronym for Spanish Reusable Propulsion Technologies for Launchers) will help PLD Space to continue their liquid rocket engine program,[12][15]\ the first one in Spain dedicated to boost the small satellite industry in Europe. This project will help PLD Space to develop a 35 kN rocket engine qualified for flight.[citation needed]
In October 2016, TheEuropean Space Agency(ESA) selected PLD Space as the prime contractor for the "Liquid Propulsion Stage Recovery" project (LPSR) as part of the agency'sFuture Launchers Preparatory Programme(FLPP). The goal of this project is to study a strategy to recover the first stage of a launcher, making it partially reusable, with a prospected funding of $800,000.[16]In a second investment round, closed in January 2017, the company secured $7.1 million, $3.2 million of that contributed byGMV.GMV also took the role to develop the complete avionics ofMiura 1andMiura 5,including guidance, navigation and control (GNC), telemetry and onboard software for both launchers.[17]PLD Space received further $2.34 million in January 2018 through the European Commissions Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Instrument Phase 2, as part of the European Union's Horizon 2020 program for research and innovation, a grant to support to the development of a pair of launchers designed for small satellites.[18]In February 2018 PLD Space was one of the five companies chosen by ESA to perform a feasibility study proposing an economically viable, commercially self-sustaining microlauncher. For this, the company received a funding of $368,000.[19][20]In September 2020, PLD Space secured €7 million Series B funding from Arcano partners.[21][needs update]
Vehicles
[edit]Miura 1
[edit]
Miura 1 is a one-stage suborbital recoverable launch vehicle capable of suborbital flight. It is the first launch vehicle in Europe that is designed to be recoverable.[6]It uses aTEPREL-Bengine, also designed and produced by PLD Space.
Miura 5
[edit]
Miura 5 is a 25 m long two-stage launch vehicle capable of placing up to 300 kg of load in a 500 kmheliosynchronous orbit.It uses 5TEPREL-Cengines.
Miura Next
[edit]Miura Next is a family ofpartially reusablelaunch vehicles that is under development by PLD Space. The base version of Miura Next will consist of a single core first stage booster and an upper stage. The Heavy is a 3 core version of the same architecture, while the Super Heavy is a 5 core version. Each booster will use 5closed cycle oxidizer-richengines that will useRP-1andLOXas propellants and produce more than 1100 kN of thrust. The structures of Miura Next will be produced from an aluminium composite material. The 1 core version is planned to be operational by 2030 - while the Heavy version is planned to be operational 1-2 years later.[22]
Lince
[edit]Lince (Lynxin English) is the name of the project to develop a cargo and crewed capsule. It will have a mass of 5 tons, a diameter of 3.2 meters, and 8 cubic meters of volume. It will be able to carry up to four or five astronauts, or 3.4 tons of cargo to low Earth orbit.[23]
Facilities
[edit]PLD Space is headquartered inElche,Spain.In addition to this main office, it has other facilities:
PLD Space Propulsion Test Facilities
[edit]El Arenosillo Test Centre
[edit]PLD Space has reached an agreement with theInstituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacialfor the use of the facilities of theEl Arenosillo Test Centre(CEDEA) for the launch of theMiura 1vehicle and tests of theMiura 5.[citation needed]
Guiana Space Centre
[edit]The company has a concession of 15,765 square meters of space in the launch complex ELM, in theGuiana Space Centre,where a launch area and a preparation area are currently under construction. This includes an integration hangar, a clean room, a control center, and commercial and working offices.[25]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Henry, Caleb (28 November 2018)."PLD Space, after ESA input, doubles lift capacity of smallsat launcher".SpaceNews.Retrieved29 November2018.
- ^Henry, Caleb (30 November 2016)."Spanish propulsion startup wants to build Europe's first reusable rockets".SpaceNews.Retrieved3 March2019.
- ^Moltó, Daniel (11 Feb 2018)."PLD Space: Talento de Elche a la conquista del mercado aeroespacial".elmundo.es.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^Franco, Leonor (21 Dec 2018)."PLD Space creará un nuevo banco de pruebas en el aeropuerto para cohetes completos".heraldo.es.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^Peláez, J (2 Dec 2015)."PLD Space, la empresa española camino de lanzar satélites e incluso alcanzar la Luna".yahoo.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^abMarín, Daniel (16 Feb 2018)."Europa apuesta por PLD Space para alcanzar el espacio".Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"PLD SPACE signs a 25-year concession for rocket engine testing at Teruel Airport".SpaceDaily. 7 August 2018.Retrieved3 March2019.
- ^"Acuerdo entre INTA y PLD Space para lanzar el cohete MIURA 1 desde el Centro de Experimentación de" El Arenosillo "".inta.es.
- ^Space, P. L. D. (July 1, 2019)."Today @PLD_Space and @CNES, and with the support of @CDTIoficial signed at #EUCASS2019 a preliminary Agreement to study the launch of #MIURA5 microlauncher from CSG, French Guayana. #Microlaunchers #EUCASS #MIURA5pic.twitter /ooE61tA2FB".
- ^"Teniente general José María Salom, director general del INTA - Noticias Defensa En abierto".Defensa.April 14, 2019.
- ^Parsonson, Andrew (13 March 2023)."EU introduces space strategy".European Spaceflight.Retrieved13 March2023.
- ^abCaleb, Henry (9 Jan 2017)."Spain's GMV takes a stake in PLD Space's reusable rocket quest".SpaceNews.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"PLD Space Receives Funding For Liquid Rocket Engine Propulsion Project".satnews. 27 Jul 2016.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"Start of design for concept SMall Innovative Launcher for Europe (SMILE)".nlr.org. 31 May 2016.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^Messier, Doug (10 April 2016)."PLD Space Receives Funding From Spanish Government".parabolicarc.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"La ESA confía a la española PLD Space su proyecto de cohete reutilizable".europapress.es. 3 March 2016.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"La multinacional GMV invierte en PLD Space".pldspace. 9 Jan 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 28 May 2018.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"PLD Space Awarded €2m Grant from the European Commission for the ARION Micro-Launcher Programme".Archived fromthe originalon 28 May 2018.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"ESA explores microlaunchers for small satellites".8 Feb 2018.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^Caleb, Henry (8 Feb 2018)."ESA awards five smallsat launcher study contracts".SpaceNews.Retrieved27 May2018.
- ^"PLD Space closes €7M investment in tie-up with Arcano Partners".pldspace.Retrieved2020-11-21.
- ^"Beyond_ by PLD Space - English dubbed version".Youtube.PLD SPACE.Retrieved7 October2024.
- ^"The Miura Next Heavy Rocket and the Crewed Capsule Lynx: PLD Space's Ambitious Space Program for the Next Twenty Years".Eureka(in Spanish). 2024-10-07.Retrieved2024-10-09.
- ^PLD SPACE signs a 25-year concession for rocket engine testing at Teruel Airport,SpaceDaily, 2018-08-07
- ^https:// infoespacial /texto-diario/mostrar/4955529/pld-space-comenzara-octubre-construir-base-lanzamiento-guayana-francesa
External links
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