PLD Space preselected by ESA for the European Launcher Challenge

• ESA preselects PLD Space for the European Launcher Challenge (ELC), a key program to boost Europe’s sovereign access to space

• Funded with €169 million, the ELC is one of the largest space contracts ever involving Spain and will be awarded following ESA’s Ministerial Conference in November

• PLD Space’s proposal, fully aligned with its technological roadmap presented in October 2024, includes the MIURA 5 and its future large reusable launcher, MIURA Next

PLD Space, an international space services company with vertical integrated engineering and manufacturing, has been preselected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to participate in the European Launcher Challenge (ELC), the largest European program aimed at fostering new sovereign launch capabilities on the continent.

ESA officially launched the ELC this year as a strategic initiative that will award up to €169 million per company in its final phase. The program is structured in two components: contracts for launch services of ESA institutional missions between 2026 and 2030, and a development track requiring a demonstration of enhanced launch capacity by 2028. The final selection of companies will be announced at ESA’s Ministerial Conference to be held in Bremen this November.

A proposal fully aligned with PLD Space’s technological roadmap

PLD Space formally submitted its proposal to the European Launcher Challenge with a plan that perfectly aligns with its technological roadmap through 2030, which the company publicly presented on October 7, 2024 during its Beyond event—prior to ESA’s announcement of the challenge. In this context, PLD Space has positioned the MIURA 5 as the first operational element of the program, and its future large reusable launcher, MIURA Next, as the second pillar to address Europe’s institutional needs and ensure competitive, sustainable access to space.

An industrial driving force for Europe and for Spain           

The MIURA program is a clear industrial driving force. Through ESA’s preselection for the ELC, PLD Space represents a unique opportunity for Spain to have a national prime leading the launcher industry, with a value chain made up of 397 partners, largely anchored in Spain and across Europe.

Moreover, the ELC exemplifies a new model of public-private collaboration in Europe, similar to what is already underway in Spain with the Aerospace PERTE program, under which the government—through CDTI—has awarded PLD Space €42 million to develop the country’s first national launcher.

“The European Launcher Challenge marks a milestone for Europe’s space industry, but it is also a unique national opportunity to have a Spanish prime leading launcher development. Our project directly impacts the entire value chain, mobilizes cutting-edge technology, and places Spain at the center of Europe’s future access to space,” said Ezequiel Sánchez, Executive President of PLD Space.