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☆ Spain's PLD Space launches private reusable rocket in milestone for Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Aislinn Laing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MADRID, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Spanish company PLD Space launched its reusable Miura-1 rocket early on Saturday from a site in southwestern Spain, carrying out Europe's first fully private rocket launch and offering hope for the continent's stalled space ambitions. The Miura-1 rocket, named after a breed of fighting bulls, is as tall as a three-storey building and has a 100-kg (220-pound) cargo capacity. A first attempt to launch the Miura-1 rocket in May was abandoned due to strong high-altitude winds. Competitors lining up to join the race to launch small payloads include companies in Scotland, Sweden and Germany. In July, the last launch of Europe's largest rocket, the premier Ariane 5 space launcher, took place at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Persons: Miura, Italy's Vega, Vega, Aislinn Laing, David Alire Garcia, Valentine Hilaire, Will Dunham Organizations: Space, Virgin Orbit, Boeing, Competitors, Ariane, European Space Agency, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spanish, Spain, Huelva, Britain, Scotland, Sweden, Germany, Kourou, French Guiana, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Spain's PLD Space Counts Down to Test Rocket Launch From Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish startup PLD Space will attempt a test launch of its reusable Miura-1 rocket early on Saturday, spearheading a new generation of 'microlaunchers' after an aborted attempt in June. "The day has arrived," Raul Torres, PLD Space chief executive and co-founder of PLD Space, wrote on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter. Europe's efforts to develop capabilities to send small satellites into space are in focus after a failed orbital rocket launch by Virgin Orbit from Britain in January. PLD Space's Miura-1 rocket, named after a breed of fighting bulls, is as tall as a three-storey building and has a 100-kg (220-pound) cargo capacity. Competitors lining up to join the race to launch small payloads include companies in Scotland, Sweden and Germany.

Persons: Raul Torres, Space's Miura, Italy's Vega, Vega, Emma Pinedo, Tim Hepher, Tim Hepther, Aislinn Laing, Edmund Blair Organizations: Spanish, Space, Twitter, Virgin Orbit, Boeing, Ariane, European Space Agency Locations: MADRID, Huelva, Spain, Britain, Europe, Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Germany, Kourou, French Guiana

☆ Spain's PLD Space counts down to test rocket launch from Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PLD Space/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Spanish startup PLD Space will attempt a test launch of its reusable Miura-1 rocket early on Saturday, spearheading a new generation of 'microlaunchers' after an aborted attempt in June. The rocket is due to lift off on its suborbital test mission at 2 a.m Spanish time on Saturday (0000 GMT) from Huelva in southwest Spain, marking what its designers say will be Europe's first fully private rocket launch. "The day has arrived," Raul Torres, PLD Space chief executive and co-founder of PLD Space, wrote on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter. Europe's efforts to develop capabilities to send small satellites into space are in focus after a failed orbital rocket launch by Virgin Orbit from Britain in January. In July, the last launch of Europe's largest rocket, the premier Ariane 5 space launcher, took place at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Persons: Raul Torres, Space's Miura, Italy's Vega, Vega, Emma Pinedo, Tim Hepher, Tim Hepther, Aislinn Laing, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Spanish, Space, Twitter, Virgin Orbit, Boeing, Ariane, European Space Agency, Thomson Locations: El, Huelva, Spain, Rights MADRID, Britain, Europe, Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Germany, Kourou, French Guiana

☆ Avio's Vega C rockets to fly again in late 2024 after ESA recommendations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of the European Space Agency (ESA) is seen during the ESA Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Italy's Avio (AVI.MI) said on Monday its Vega C rockets would return to flight in late 2024 after implementing fixes recommended by an independent panel set up by the European Space Agency (ESA) following a failed satellite launch. An Arianespace mission on Dec. 20 carrying two Airbus (AIR.PA) Defence & Space satellites failed around two and a half minutes into flight when an anomaly occurred with the Zefiro 40 motor used by the Vega C rockets. A task force led by ESA and Avio is working on implementing the recommendations of the enquiry panel, Avio added. Italy's Vega C rocket is due to play an increasingly crucial role in Europe's access to space after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine forced launch firm Arianespace to stop using Russian Soyuz vehicles.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Vega, Avio, Italy's Vega, Cristina Carlevaro, Alessandro Parodi, Alvise Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Palais Ephemere, REUTERS, Airbus, Space, Guiana Space Centre, Russian Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Italian, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Europe to decide within weeks on when to restart space launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European Space Agency (ESA) General Director Josef Aschbacher speaks during the ESA Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 4 (Reuters) - European space officials said on Monday they face crucial timing decisions in the coming weeks on the return to flight of Europe's flagship space launchers following a series of delays. Europe's third traditional path to space, the Russian Soyuz programme, was interrupted last year amid the breakdown in East-West relations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Investigators blamed the launch failure on a faulty engine part and a fresh probe was launched in June after the failure of a ground test. Aschbacher said the timing of Vega C's return to operation would be set after the commission reports later this month.

Persons: Josef Aschbacher, Benoit Tessier, Vega, Elon Musk's, Italy's Vega, Aschbacher, Vega C's, Tim Hepher, Jason Neely, Alison Williams Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Palais Ephemere, REUTERS, Rights, Russian Soyuz, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Russian, East, Ukraine, Europe, Guiana, Germany

☆ Airbus targets 720 deliveries in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Industry sources have said Airbus is currently producing 45 of the workhorse jets a month. Revenues rose 13% to 58.763 billion euros, buoyed by higher deliveries compared to the previous year and a strong dollar. Industry sources had previously said A350 output was scheduled to remain steady at 6 a month throughout 2024 and 2025, up from 5.6 a month in 2023. Airbus' net cash rose to 9.4 billion euros, closing in on a threshold previously identified for potential share buybacks. Faury told investors in September he would discuss buybacks with the board "as soon as we hit the 10 billion euros mark."

ROME/PARIS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Italy's Vega rockets have been grounded and an investigation is under way after the latest model failed on its second mission, destroying two Earth-imaging satellites and further complicating Europe's access to space on top of the war in Ukraine. A spokesperson for Arianespace said both the Vega C and its Vega predecessor had been grounded pending the findings of an investigative commission co-chaired by technical officials from the European Space Agency and Arianespace itself. Italy's Vega C rocket is due to play an increasingly crucial role in Europe's access to space after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine forced Arianespace to stop using Russian Soyuz vehicles. But Arianespace has been forced to scrap plans to announce a Vega C launch schedule for 2023 in coming weeks. Analysts said only a few operational alternatives to Vega C exist, such as potential rideshares aboard U.S.-based SpaceX's bigger Falcon 9 or Firefly Aerospace's new Alpha launcher, which can loft roughly half the payload weight of Vega C.Other options, though somewhat larger than Vega C, include rockets from Japan and India.

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