Spanish launch provider PLD Space has announced that it secured a €11 million loan to support the development of its Miura 5 launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre.
In July 2022, the French space agency CNES pre-selected PLD Space, along with other European launch service providers, to operate from a new commercial launch facility being developed on the grounds of the old Diamant launch complex in Kourou, French Guiana. PLD Space has since begun building out specific ground infrastructure at the facility that will support future flights of its Miura 5 rocket.
On 2 December, PLD Space announced that it secured an €11 million loan from COFIDES, a Spanish state-owned financial institution. The co-investment loan was awarded through the Fund for Foreign Investment, which aids Spanish companies with international expansion efforts.
“This initiative exemplifies the critical role of public-private collaboration in supporting strategic and innovative projects, which rely on institutional backing as an anchor investor during the early stages of technological development,” explained Amparo López Senovilla, Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade.
According to the company, the loan will be utilized for the construction and operation of the company’s launch infrastructure at the Guiana Space Centre. PLD Space expects to invest an initial €16 million in the project, creating 10 direct jobs and 50 indirect jobs in Kourou.
The inaugural Miura 5 flight campaign is expected to commence in late 2025, with the launch likely occurring in early 2026.
Miura 5 will stand at approximately 35.7 metres tall and is designed to be capable of delivering payloads of up to 540 kilograms to low Earth orbit. While the vehicle will initially be launched in a fully expendable configuration, a Block 1.1 variant of the rocket will be introduced in 2028, enabling the company to recover and reuse the first stage. The stage will utilize a parachute to slow its descent before splashdown. It will then be recovered for refurbishment and reuse.
