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PLD Space said the first flight of the Miura 1 rocket, which was made in Spain, was canceled Wednesday due to high winds, in a setback for the development of the small-scale space launch platform.
said a commentator on PLD Space’s live broadcast of the take-off, which was to be the first in Spain.
The commentator added that it would be several days before a new launch window opens.
The small rocket is 12 meters (40 feet) high and was supposed to fly 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the ground from a military base in southern Spain.
While that distance would put him into outer space, the rocket is not powerful enough to reach orbit.
Wednesday’s suborbital launch was to bring a payload with microgravity experiments, as well as prepare PLD Space’s plans for future rockets.
“The idea is to learn and reduce the risks of the first flights of the Miura 5,” said Raul Verdoux, one of the founders of PLD Space, referring to a launcher that the company hopes will put satellites into orbit from 2025.
Although the missile is much larger at 35 meters and features two separate launch stages, this missile uses about 70 percent of the components developed for the Miura 1.
Companies are rushing to develop launchers to handle the growing satellite market.
About 18,500 small orbiters weighing less than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) are expected to be launched in the next decade, according to analysts from Euroconsult.
© 2023 AFP
the quote: High Winds Halt Spanish Rocket Launch (2023, May 31) Retrieved May 31, 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-05-high-halt-spanish-rocket.html
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