Italian in-space logistics company D-Orbit has signed an agreement with Spain’s PLD Space to launch as-yet-undefined payloads aboard the company’s Miura 5 rocket.
PLD Space is currently working toward a 2026 debut of its two-stage Miura 5 rocket, which will be capable of delivering 1,080 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The rocket will initially be launched from a new commercial launch facility at the Guiana Space Centre, built on the grounds of the former Diamant launch site.
On 3 April, PLD Space announced it had signed an agreement with D-Orbit to launch payloads aboard Miura 5 into equatorial orbits. According to the company, Miura 5 will offer one of the few “dedicated low-inclination launch opportunities available,” enabling its customers to gain direct access to equatorial orbits from its launch site in French Guiana.
As part of the announcement, PLD Space revealed that, with D-Orbit added to its launch manifest, it had “fulfilled more than 80% of the slots in its manifest until 2027.” It remains unclear, however, whether that figure includes the company’s planned 2027 launch capacity. For context, in an October 2024 presentation, PLD Space stated it aimed to conduct six launches in 2026 and eleven in 2027.
“The agreement with D-Orbit strengthens our position as a leader, especially in markets that require reliable equatorial access, a capability that remains extremely limited in today’s industry,” said PLD Space Chief Business Development Officer Raúl Verdú.
While the 3 April announcement didn’t specify particular D-Orbit payloads to be launched aboard Miura 5 flights, PLD Space did confirm that the agreement includes the launch of the company’s ION orbital transfer vehicle missions.
“Working with PLD Space will allow us to expand our launch offering to equatorial missions, an option that is becoming increasingly interesting for our customers, enabling us to better meet their evolving needs,” said D-Orbit VP of commercial strategy Matteo Lorenzoni.
In addition to PLD Space, D-Orbit has also signed similar launch agreements with Orbex and Isar Aerospace. However, to date, all but one of the company’s 17 ION missions have been launched aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare flights. The only other rocket to carry a D-Orbit OTV was an Avio-built Vega, which launched the vehicle’s inaugural mission in September 2020.
