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☆ Spain's PLD Space expects first orbital launch in Q1 2026 from French Guiana
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PLD Space/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Spanish rocket company PLD Space plans a first orbital launch from French Guiana in the first quarter of 2026, after it carried out the first fully private European rocket launch earlier this month, it said on Friday. PLD will use the data gathered with the 30 million euro ($32 million) suborbital test to develop the larger Miura-5, a full orbital launcher. So far, they have identified 1,000 elements for improvement to develop Miura-5, it said. PLD Space said it expects to sign the first binding agreements with clients next year. 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.

Persons: Miura, Raul Torres, Raul Verdu, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Hugh Lawson Organizations: El, REUTERS, Rights, Spanish, Miura, Virgin Orbit, Boeing, Thomson Locations: Huelva, Spain, Rights MADRID, French Guiana, Guiana, Madrid, Britain

☆ 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

☆ ESA chief sees Ariane 6 debut launch delayed to next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A worker of Ariane Group stands in front of a Ariane 6 rocket's Vulcain 2.1 engine, prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, in Vernon, France January 12, 2021. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The first launch of Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket has slipped into 2024 after an incomplete recent ground test, the head of the European Space Agency suggested in remarks to Reuters. Ninety percent of July's objectives were met and further tests are scheduled for September, it added. "After this series of tests we plan to consolidate a launch date for Ariane 6," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told Reuters. Asked whether it was fair to assume that plans for a test launch before the end of the year were now out of reach, Aschbacher told Reuters, "This is fair to say, yes".

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Christophe Ena, Safran, Josef Aschbacher, Aschbacher, Guillaume Faury, Tim Hepher, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Ariane, Rights, European Space Agency, Reuters, ESA, Airbus, Paris Air Forum, Thomson Locations: Vernon, France, Guiana, Germany, European

☆ Juice mission launches to explore Jupiter’s icy ocean worlds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The European Space Agency has sent a spacecraft to explore Jupiter and three of its largest and most intriguing moons. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission, or Juice, launched Friday at 8:14 a.m. Toward the end of the mission, Juice will focus solely on orbiting Ganymede, making it the first spacecraft ever to orbit a moon in the outer solar system. The Juice mission was designed to unravel what takes place as Jupiter interacts with its moons, including auroras, hot spots, radio emissions and waves of charged particles. Given the eventual distance between the spacecraft and Earth, it will take 45 minutes to send a one-way signal to Juice.

☆ Jupiter Mission Set to Explore Icy Worlds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Aylin Woodward | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A historic mission to Jupiter is about to blast off. The European Space Agency’s spacecraft nicknamed Juice—for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer—is set to begin an eight-year journey toward the planet and three of its largest moons. Juice is scheduled to launch Friday morning Eastern Time from a spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, after an earlier attempt was scrubbed because of lightning risk.

☆ The Juice mission will soon launch to Jupiter’s icy ocean worlds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission, or Juice, was expected to lift off Thursday at 8:15 a.m. European Space AgencyGanymede, Callisto and Europa are ice-covered worlds that may contain subsurface oceans that are potentially habitable for life. European Space Agency“With Juice, we want to confirm there’s liquid water in these moons, confirm their heat sources. Testing and modeling of Jupiter’s radiation belts allowed engineers to prepare for what Juice will encounter. Given the eventual distance between the spacecraft and Earth, it will take 45 minutes to send a one-way signal to Juice.

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