Miura 5 is a two-stage European orbital recoverable launch vehicle currently under development by the Spanish company PLD Space. In a standard two-stage configuration, it will have a length of 34 m, be capable of inserting 1000 kg of payload into a low Earth orbit (LEO), featuring an optional kick stage that can circularize the orbits of satellites.[4]
 A reuse test small-scale first stage of Miura 5 in El Arenosillo | |
| Function | partially reusable launch vehicle to low Earth orbit |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | PLD Space |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Size | |
| Height | 35.7 m (117 ft)[1] |
| Diameter | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in)[1] |
| Mass |
|
| Stages | 2–3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to Low Earth orbit (LEO) | |
| Mass | 1,080 kg (2,380 lb)[1] |
| Payload to SSO | |
| Mass | 540 kg (1,190 lb)[1] |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | Shavit 2, Prime, Electron |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Under development |
| Launch sites | El Hierro Launch Centre (proposed) Guiana Space Centre (planned) |
| First flight | Q1 2026 (planned)[2] |
| First stage | |
| Height | 26.3 m (86 ft)[3] |
| Diameter | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in) |
| Powered by | 5 TEPREL-C |
| Maximum thrust | 950 kN (210,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 182 s.[1] |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
| Second stage | |
| Height | 12.1 m (40 ft) |
| Powered by | 1 TEPREL-C vacuum |
| Maximum thrust | 50 kN (11,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 420 s.[1] |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
| Kick stage (optional) | |
Development of the Miura 5 has been sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) via the agency's Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP); additional support has come from the French space agency CNES and the Spanish agency National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA). Work commenced during the mid-2010s under the name Arion 2, the present name was adopted following a redesign that doubled the lift capacity of the launcher during 2018. On 11 April 2019, PLD Space carried out a successful drop and recovery test of the first stage of a Miura 5 demonstrator. As of December 2023, the first test flight of Miura 5 is expected to take place sometime in early 2026.[2]
Design
The Miura 5 has been designed to reuse the majority of the technology developed for the preceding Miura 1. However, many of these technologies will be refined substantially to incorporate lessons learnt with the earlier rocket.[5][6] New design elements include the propellant tanks and engine; it remains a liquid fuel rocket.[7] Many elements of the Miura 5, including the propulsion system, structures, and avionics development, will be designed and produced in-house.[8][9]
The Miura 5 is to be propelled by a single TEPREL-C turbopump engine, unlike its predecessor, which used a pressurized tank cycle instead.[10]
A key feature of the Miura 5 is its reusable first stage. The recovery process shall employ a combination of engine thrust and parachutes.[11] While furnished with a larger parachute arrangement to account for the larger scale of the Miura 5, the various subsystems controlling the recovery are identical those used on the Miura 1.[8] The launcher's reuse capabilities have reportedly been scaled as to permit each rocket to be launched a maximum of three times.[12]
The Miura 5 was originally envisioned to have a lift capacity of 150 kilograms; in comparison to Vega, Arianespace’s smallest launcher, it was to be capable of carrying roughly one-tenth of the payload.[11] It is specifically intended for the launching of small satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO).[11] However, mid-way through the design process, the Miura 5's lift capacity was doubled in response to formal recommendations produced by the ESA in 2018.[4] It will be typically operated as a two stage launcher, although provisions will be made for individual rockets to be expandable to three stages when a greater lift capacity or altitude is required.[13]
Development
LPSR Program
During October 2016, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced the selection of the Spanish aerospace start-up PLD Space as the main contractor of the LPSR ("Liquid Propulsion Stage Recovery") program, one part of the agency's Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP).[8] The company was allocated an initial contribution of €750,000 towards the early development of a reusable first stage of a future space launch system; the long-term objective is to provide the reusable first stage for what later became the Miura 5. Various options for recovery were examined, primarily involving the use of parachutes; other methods, such as the use of controlled paragliders or ballutes, were also explored at this stage. Some early testing of the system was performed using the smaller Miura 1 rocket.[14][8]
Early on in its development, the launch vehicle was referred to as Arion 2; however, following the completion of a ten-month review conducted by the ESA and the decision to redesign the launcher to facilitate launches up to 300 kilograms to a 500-kilometer orbit, it was decided to adopt the name Miura 5.[4][15]
Test flights and partnerships
On 11 April 2019, with the assistance of the Spanish Army, PLD Space performed a successful drop and recovery test of the first stage of a Miura 5 demonstrator at El Arenosillo Test Center.[16] This demonstration stage, which had a reduced 1.5 m diameter instead of 1.8 m, was dropped by a Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter from a height of 5 km. It slowed its rate of descent using a total of three parachutes before performing a water landing, at which point it had been descending at a rate of roughly ten meters per second. The demonstrator was recovered by divers and brought back to Mazagón by a tugboat to be thoroughly examined.[17][18]
During July 2019, it was announced that PLD Space had reached an agreement with the French space agency CNES to study the launch of Miura 5 at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in French Guiana.[19] Under a separate arrangement, the Spanish agency National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) has also worked with PLD Space in securing a launch site at the El Hierro Launch Centre, which has been claimed by the company to be the optimal choice from a technical perspective.[20] PLD Space has also publicly commented on the possibility of conducting launches from the planned spaceport in Azores, but the status of this proposal is presently uncertain.[3] Company officials have estimated that the construction of a suitable ground facilities for launching will cost roughly €15 million.[21]
During 2021, in light of the successful drop testing of the first stage, the ESA awarded a new contract to PD Space to continue with development of the Miura 5.[8] During mid 2023, an agreement was signed with CNES for the future maiden launch of the Miura 5 to be conducted at Guiana.[21][5]
Launch schedule
As of December 2023, the first test flight of Miura 5 is expected to take place sometime in early 2026.[2] The initial model, which is planned to be used for the first two flights, will be entirely expendable. It will be superseded by an improved model of the Miura 5 that uses the recoverable first stage, which is intended to perform the planned commercial launches.[8]
See also
- Miura 1 – Suborbital recoverable launch vehicle of the Spanish company PLD Space
- PLD Space – Private Spanish launch services provider
- List of orbital launch systems
- Zero 2 Infinity – Private Spanish company developing high-altitude balloons
- Capricornio (rocket) – Spanish orbital launch vehicle
- Themis programme – European Space Agency programme to develop a prototype reusable rocket first stage
References
- ^ a b c d e f @RaulTorresPLD (18 January 2022). "Thread 👉 Happy to give you accurate #MIURA5 figures: maximum payload mass to reference mission (500km SSO): 450kg . Maximum payload to orbit : 900kg (equatorial launch). Launch site is CSG in French Guiana" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Pinedo, Emma (20 October 2023). "Spain's PLD Space expects first orbital launch in Q1 2026 from French Guiana". Reuters. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b Gallego, Pablo (August 2020). "MIURA 5: The European and Reusable Microlauncher for CubeSats and Small Satellites". Small Satellite Conference.
- ^ a b c "PLD Space, after ESA input, doubles lift capacity of smallsat launcher". spacenews.com. 28 November 2018.
- ^ a b Pons, Juan (23 October 2023). "PLD wants its Miura 5 rocket to take off from French Guiana in early 2026". atalayar.com.
- ^ Young, Chris (12 October 2023). "Spain rocket launch could be turning point for European spaceflight". interestingengineering.com.
- ^ @RaulTorresPLD (29 August 2021). "Comenzaremos la fabricación del primer MIURA5 pero por supuesto necesitamos que vuele MIURA1 para validar y transferir muchas tecnologías. Otras, como los motores TEPREL-C o los tanques de propelente son nuevas. Esperamos tener a principios del próximo año hardware de ensayo" (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f Sanmiguel, Pablo Gallego (March 2022). "PLD Space Secures The Next Steps for the MIURA Launches". satmagazine.com.
- ^ Duboust, Oceane (7 April 2023). "SpaceX competitor? A Spanish start-up is ready to launch Europe's first reusable rocket". euronews.com.
- ^ "MIURA 1 - Payload User's guide" (PDF). Payload Aerospace S.L. 13 November 2018. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Henry, Caleb (11 June 2018). "PLD Space raises additional $10 million for reusable smallsat launchers". spacenews.com. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ "ESA Microlaunch Services Workshop Presentation" (PDF). 6 November 2018.
- ^ Dickinson, David (12 June 2023). "Startup PLD Space to Launch Europe's First Reusable Rocket". universetoday.com.
- ^ Marín, Daniel (2 November 2016). "PLD Space: el primer cohete reutilizable europeo" [PLD Space: the first European reusable rocket]. naukas.com (in Spanish).
- ^ "Since today, MIURA is the new PLD Space rocket's commercial brand" (Press release). PLD Space. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ info-space.com (15 April 2019). "PLD Space and the Spanish Army pass the first drop test of Miura 5 – Info-Space News Spain". infoespacial.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ Sheldon, John (17 April 2019). "Spain's PLD Space Successfully Completes Miura-5 Reusable Booster Drop Test". spacewatch.global.
- ^ "Reusability: Drop test of microlauncher's demonstration first stage". European Space Agency. 15 April 2019.
- ^ @PLD_Space (1 July 2019). "Today @PLD_Space and @CNES , and with the support of @CDTIoficial signed at #EUCASS2019 a preliminary Agreement to…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Teniente general José María Salom, director general del INTA – Noticias Defensa En abierto". defensa.com. 14 April 2019.
- ^ a b Garay, Jon (9 October 2023). "As Spain enters the space race, this is the successor to the Miura-1 rocket that will be three times taller and thirty times more powerful". surinenglish.com.
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