Elche (Spain). PLD Space, an international space services company with vertical integrated engineering and manufacturing, hosted the MIURA 5 Industry Days at its headquarters, a strategic event that brought together over 100 representatives from its supply chain across Spain and abroad. The goal: to share the advanced industrialization plan for MIURA 5 and MIURA Next, which will consolidate PLD Space’s position as a European leader in access to space.
During the event, PLD Space strengthened collaboration with its strategic national and international value chain, committed to the success of the MIURA program. “The key to our business is providing reliable and scalable launch services with a clear market focus. To achieve this, we are forging strong, long-term alliances with our network of industrial partners” said Ezequiel Sánchez, Executive President of PLD Space.
PLD Space detailed its manufacturing model based on a vertically integrated approach unique in Europe. The company designs, manufactures, tests, and operates all key subsystems of its launch vehicles internally within its own industrial, testing, and launch facilities. This industrial model enables PLD Space to ensure maximum technological reliability, control costs and timelines, and minimize risks in a highly competitive market.
This strategy positions the MIURA program as a driving force for industry in Spain and Europe, as evidenced by its preselection by ESA for the European Launcher Challenge (ELC) last week. This strategic initiative, with funding of up to €169 million per company, represents a national opportunity to establish a Spanish leader energizing the launcher sector, supported by an integrated value chain currently comprising 397 key partners, predominantly located in Spain and Europe.
A robust supply chain to lead satellite launches into space
To meet the milestones of its roadmap, PLD Space is working to consolidate its global supplier network. Between 2024 and the first half of 2025, total investment in the MIURA 5 supply chain reached €50 million. “We are building relationships with our ecosystem of partners based on operational excellence and delivery at a competitive level in terms of timeframes and cost—unprecedented in Europe—without compromising the reliability of our rockets,” Sánchez emphasised.
From pre-series manufacturing to the goal of 32 MIURA 5 launchers per year by 2030
During the event, the company explained to its network of partners the transition to the serial production phase of MIURA 5. Following the success of the MIURA 1 demonstrator, which positioned PLD Space as the first private European company to launch a rocket into space on its first attempt, the company is advancing the development of the initial units of MIURA 5, set to fly from the European Spaceport CSG in Kourou (French Guiana), owned by CNES, starting in 2026.
PLD Space’s industrialization plan outlines a progression to reach 32 annual units of MIURA 5 by 2030. The company will go through an intermediate phase of semi-serial manufacturing of this vehicle before scaling up to full-scale production, scheduled for 2027.
In parallel, it will begin manufacturing the first units of its MIURA Next launcher, capable of placing up to 13 tons into orbit. “Launch cadence and reliability are the keys to leadership. To ensure this, we have designed MIURA Next based on MIURA 5 technologies, following the same strategy as between MIURA 1 and MIURA 5. This way, our methods for producing engines, structures, or avionics are applicable to any launcher in our MIURA family, allowing us to scale and maintain production cadence at a fraction of the cost of current operators,” highlighted Raúl Verdú, Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer of PLD Space.
Additionally, to realize this vision, PLD Space plans to expand its manufacturing, testing, and launch infrastructure to support the serial production of MIURA 5, initiate production of MIURA Next, and develop the LINCE crewed capsule.
About PLD Space
PLD Space is an international company dedicated to transporting satellites and people into space, vertically integrating the engineering, testing, manufacturing, and operations of its reusable and sustainable rockets. Headquartered in Elche (Spain) and founded in 2011 by Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdú, PLD Space has established itself as a global benchmark in the small satellite launch sector. Its family of MIURA launchers and LINCE crewed capsule position the company as a leader in European technological sovereignty for space transportation, covering the full spectrum of space missions.
With a team of more than 350 employees, PLD Space operates over 188,000 m² of facilities in Elche, Teruel (Spain), Kourou (French Guiana), and Duqm (Oman), enabling it to provide comprehensive satellite and payload launch services into space.