The European Space Agency (ESA) has begun signing the first contracts for its European Launcher Challenge (ELC), the programme with which Europe is trying to stop relying on foreign launchers to place satellites in orbit. Among the companies selected is PLD Space, the Elche-based firm that in 2023 launched its MIURA 1 demonstrator rocket on a suborbital flight.
The contract, worth 158.9 million euros and funded mainly by Spain with a German contribution, makes it one of the key pillars of the future European launcher ecosystem. The funding will not be paid out in a single instalment, but will be released gradually as the company reaches the milestones set out in the programme.
The agreement is divided into two components. The first aims to consolidate the commercial service of MIURA 5 and gradually ramp up its launch rate through to 2030, at a time when the company says there is already growing commercial interest in the rocket in international markets.
The second, focused on what PLD Space describes as "enhanced orbital capability", will fund upgrades to MIURA 5 so that it can carry more payload and reach more distant orbits, as well as incorporating propulsive landing, the first step towards reusing the rocket.
