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Propulsion & Power

Launcher maker PLD Space wins €158.9m ESA contract

By SpaceEnergy 27 August 2026 1 min read

(SpaceEnergy) Spanish launch company PLD Space has secured a €158.9m ($185.2m) European Space Agency contract to expand the capabilities of its MIURA launch-vehicle family.

The award forms part of the European Launcher Challenge and is funded mainly by Spain, with a contribution from Germany. ESA said the contracts allow participating launch companies to unlock funding as agreed programme milestones are achieved.

PLD Space currently plans to launch its two-stage MIURA 5 vehicle from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The present configuration is designed to deliver payloads of up to 540kg to sun-synchronous orbit.

Under the European Launcher Challenge programme, PLD Space plans to develop upgraded MIURA 5 capabilities aimed at institutional and commercial missions requiring greater payload capacity and orbital reach. The company’s broader roadmap also includes the larger reusable MIURA Next launcher.

ESA requires European Launcher Challenge providers to demonstrate orbital-launch capability before 2028. Proposals were assessed on factors including engineering quality, business case, resources, schedule and compliance.

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