Spanish start-up PLD Space plans a suborbital launch by the end of the month to test the technology of the small orbital launch vehicle. PLD Space said on May 18 that the day before, the government conducted a static fire test of the Miura 1 rocket at a site in El Arenosillo, a coastal region in southwestern Spain managed by the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space Technologies (INTA). During testing, the rocket fired its engine for five seconds to verify that it was working properly.

The test paves the way for an INTA-approved suborbital launch of Miura 1 during May 31. The company said it could not disclose a specific launch date, citing safety, weather, and “dynamics related to launch operations.” He said that INTA will announce a date within 48 hours once its review of the flight is complete.

Miura 1 is primarily a technology demonstrator for the Miura 5, a small launch vehicle the company is developing that can launch up to 500 kilograms into orbit from 2025.

“The purpose of this first flight of the Miura 1 SN1 technology demonstrator will be to gather as much information as possible to further validate most of the design and technology that will then be transferred and integrated into Miura 5,” said Raul Torres. founder. and CEO of PLD Space, said in the statement.

The company’s website, which does not disclose specific targets such as altitude or flight time for the Miura 1 launch, states that the rocket can travel up to 150 kilometers in a 12-minute flight.

“Our definition of success on this test flight is that the rocket should be as far from the launch pad as possible,” said Ezequiel Sanchez, president of PLD Space. “Every second Miura 1 is in the air, we’re reviewing and collecting data to improve Miura 5.”

PLD Space is one of the few European companies working on small launch vehicles. Some of these companies are planning their first orbital launch later this year, before PLD Space.

Good for the company. “Being the first in Europe to launch a rocket into space is not a big deal for us,” Raul Verdu, PLD Space business development director, said at a conference in February. “Our vision is to achieve the best success rate in the next decade because it will be important.”

PLD Space has raised €60 million ($65 million) to date. In March, the company said it was working on a €150 million Series C round to support the development of Miura 5 and the start of commercial operations.