MADRID: Two Spanish engineers hope to put their country at the forefront of the space transportation industry with the launch of the first reusable private rocket from Western Europe later this year.
Raul Torres and Raul Verdu, who work for Spanish launch company PLD Space, named their sub-microlauncher “Miura 1” after a famous breed of bull in Spain’s bullfighting tradition. .
The MicroLauncher is as tall as a three-story building, has a 100-kg (220-lb) cargo capacity, and can also be used to conduct zero-gravity experiments.
PLD Space aims to launch the rocket at Helva in southern Spain, paving the way for commercial launches, but no date has been set.
Unveiling the rocket at a launch site at a military base on Saturday, PLD Space’s executive president, Ezequiel Sanchez, said it was proof of Spain’s “technical leadership in Europe”.
London-based Orbex is also working to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit from Scotland, with no launch date yet set.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was present on Saturday, described the development of the micro-launcher as an important step towards fulfilling the country’s space ambitions.
“This is something that we must share among the whole of Spanish society that will put Spain at the forefront of this emerging but powerful industry,” he said.
Spain launched its own state space agency on March 7 amid pressure from European countries to keep pace with global rivals.
The Spanish space agency, based in the southern city of Seville, will have a budget of 700 million euros ($745 million) and a staff of 75 in its first year.
In November, European countries agreed to increase spending on space by 17 percent to keep on the heels of the United States and China.
Spain’s international position in the aerospace sector has been strengthened not only by increased public spending, but also by the recruitment of the first two Spanish astronauts in 30 years, Pablo Alvarez and Sara GarcÃa, by the European Space Agency.
