The launch of Miura 1, the first Spanish rocket, is cancelled due to the wind
The maiden flight of the first Spanish rocket has been cancelled this morning by PLD Space due to strong winds in mainland Spain with gusts exceeding the operational limits of the rocket.
It was scheduled for 6.30 this morning in Huelva and was postponed several times before they announced that the Muira 1 would be staying on terra firma until another day.
In addition, the launch window approved by the Ministry of Defence closed at 10:00am (mainland time), so the decision was made to cancel today’s launch and make another attempt in a few days' time.
The Miura 1's maiden flight was scheduled to last 6 minutes, peaking at 80 kilometres on a suborbital launch, meaning that the rocket would go into space but return to Earth before making a full orbit of our planet.
This trial was intended to officially present the rocket and serve as a technological demonstrator of the advances made by the company since it was founded in 2011.
The rocket is 12.5 metres in length with a diameter of 70 centimetres and weighs 2,620 kilograms at takeoff. It has a self-developed TREPEL-B engine, with a thrust capacity of 30 kN, powered by a combination of kerosene and liquid oxygen.
At the top of the rocket, in the section intended to carry payloads, the German Centre for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity has integrated a scientific experiment related to microgravity. In addition, the Miura 1 is equipped with multiple sensors whose data collected during launch will be used by engineers to assess its performance in space.
Despite this setback, the company is already working on its next rocket, the Miura 5. This will have the ability to put satellites into orbit and the first launches are scheduled for 2025.
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