PLD Space begins system-level testing of MIURA 5 with three vehicles manufactured and expanded industrial capabilities
PLD Space is entering a new phase ahead of the first demonstration flight of its orbital launcher MIURA 5, with system-level test campaigns, the final validation of its subsystems and the expansion of its industrial capabilities. The company has already manufactured the first three MIURA 5 vehicles while strengthening its manufacturing, testing and launch infrastructure.
This vertical integration model connects vehicle manufacturing, test campaigns and launch operations. By keeping these capabilities within a single organisation, PLD Space can directly incorporate qualification results into flight hardware, carry out activities in parallel, and maintain control over execution and pace. This strengthens reliability, accelerates execution and supports recurring launch operations.
The three vehicles comprise two qualification units and the first flight vehicle. The qualification units are intended for different system-level test campaigns, while the flight vehicle continues through the integration process. Parallel manufacturing allows the company to apply the results and lessons learned during qualification directly to the flight hardware, reducing variability and establishing increasingly repeatable manufacturing and integration processes.
This model also makes it possible to progressively decouple manufacturing from launch campaigns, allowing production to continue while other vehicles are undergoing testing, transportation or flight preparations.
One of the programme’s main milestones is the full integration of MIURA 5’s second stage, bringing together the structures, avionics, feed system, control systems and propulsion in a single configuration. With this stage, PLD Space is beginning system-level testing to assess its overall performance under representative operating conditions. Installed vertically at the company’s test facilities in Teruel, the second stage is now entering a qualification campaign that includes a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) and a static hot-fire test. These tests will verify interactions between subsystems and reduce uncertainty ahead of the first demonstration flight, planned for the first half of 2027.
In parallel, PLD Space has completed stage-separation tests in Teruel, verifying the interfaces, commands and timing sequence involved in the controlled separation of the first and second stages during flight.
The company has also manufactured the first flight hardware for MIURA 5, including the liquid oxygen tanks for both stages and most of the electronic boards for the first flight vehicle, together with spare units. Avionics testing is now progressing through increasingly integrated configurations to verify interactions with other launcher components and advance the joint validation of hardware and software.
PLD Space has also completed the test campaigns for both qualification models of the fairing. The data and lessons learned have been incorporated into the flight model.
In terms of mission analysis, the company has consolidated the reference trajectory for the first flight, refining mission parameters and the launcher’s expected behaviour throughout its different flight phases.
Meanwhile, the first flight-configuration units of the TEPREL-C and TEPREL-C Vac engines have been manufactured and are beginning their test campaigns. To date, PLD Space has manufactured and integrated seven complete engines, supported by the manufacture and testing of individual subsystems, including 35 combustion chambers, 40 gas generators and 15 turbopumps. These activities support the qualification process and the preparation of MIURA 5’s propulsion systems for the first flight. The campaigns aim to validate not only engine performance, but also repeatable manufacturing, integration, testing and acceptance processes.
To date, PLD Space has manufactured 13 complete tanks, covering both qualification and flight units. This includes the liquid oxygen tanks for both stages of MIURA 5 and represents a further step in the manufacture and integration of the launcher’s first flight vehicle.
PLD Space has completed the flight avionics for 100% of the system, with avionics sets now available for four complete rockets. The avionics subsystems have been tested in increasingly integrated configurations, supporting the verification of their performance and compatibility within the launch vehicle.
For launch operations, PLD Space is advancing the validation of the strongback, which raises the rocket into a vertical position on the launch pad; the hold-down mechanisms, which secure the vehicle at the base until liftoff; and the umbilical systems, which provide electrical and fluid interfaces. Joint validation of these elements will help refine operational sequences ahead of their deployment in Kourou and support a more efficient, repeatable launch model.
“Flight readiness requires every element of the system to be continuously integrated, tested and refined. Having manufactured three vehicles in parallel allows us to accelerate this learning process and transfer the results of qualification campaigns to the first flight vehicle. At the same time, we are building the industrial and operational capabilities needed for MIURA 5 to evolve into a reliable, scalable launch system,” said Raúl Torres, CEO and co-founder of PLD Space.
Infrastructure to support scalable launch capabilities
The expansion of infrastructure is progressing alongside these technical developments and supports PLD Space’s vertical integration model, which connects manufacturing, testing, logistics and launch operations through in-house capabilities. Having these capabilities under one roof enables parallel activities, direct control over hardware and qualification data, and the transfer of test results into design and production.
In Elche, the company has 17,000 m² of manufacturing facilities, sized to support the programme’s growth and its medium-term industrial requirements.
In Teruel, PLD Space operates ten in-house test benches, including a new facility measuring 10.2 metres in height and equipped with an eight-metre-deep flame duct. This infrastructure will enable qualification and acceptance testing of complete second stages.
At the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou, construction work and launch-site preparations are continuing. PLD Space has received around 60 containers of infrastructure and ground equipment and is progressing with their integration. In parallel, the company is working closely with the French space agency (CNES) to align safety procedures for MIURA 5’s ground and flight operations from Europe’s historic spaceport.
Supporting Europe’s space industry
The programme is supported by a domestic supply chain in which PLD Space has invested €42.7 million, working with 493 suppliers and involving more than 7,500 subcontracted components and over 1,000 jobs linked to its activities.
The company’s selection for the European Launcher Challenge (ELC) strengthens its position as a partner in meeting Europe’s space needs. In addition, its €288 million Series C funding round supports the industrialisation of MIURA 5 and the expansion of its manufacturing, testing and launch capabilities.
With its first three vehicles manufactured and progress across its systems and infrastructure, PLD Space continues to advance MIURA 5 towards flight readiness.
