Spain boosts its space sector with the Miura 5 rocket and an investment of 210 million

The Spanish company PLD Space has taken another step in its space program, securing €210 million in funding by 2026 to develop the Miura 5 rocket . Of that amount, €30 million comes from a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), which will be used to fund the final phase of the launcher.

This financial backing will allow the company to complete the rocket’s development , expand its industrial capacity, and prepare for its entry into the commercial market. The EIB’s support comes on top of a much larger investment already secured by the company, as confirmed on Tuesday by both the European institution and the aerospace firm.

The agreement between the EIB and PLD Space also represents the institution’s first direct investment in the small launcher segment, a strategic area that is growing in line with the demand for lightweight satellites for communications , Earth observation and defense applications, the EIB said.

The Miura 5, developed entirely at the Elche facilities, is a two-stage reusable orbital launcher. It is designed to offer independent and flexible services , tailored to each client, and avoid the limitations of large rockets, where small satellites share a launch. With this, the company seeks to guarantee greater autonomy and control in accessing space, PLD Space stated.

Capable of putting payloads of up to around one ton into low Earth orbit , the Miura 5 is in the micro-launcher segment, key to the deployment of new satellite constellations.

TEST FLIGHT THIS 2026

The EIB funding will allow progress to be made in the final phase of the program, which includes validation, industrialization, and launch preparation. All of this is taking place within a context where the first test flight is planned for this year and commercial operations are expected to begin in 2027.

In parallel, PLD Space “has strengthened its market position with accumulated funding of 210 million euros in 2026, after closing an investment round of 180 million, to which the European loan is now added, consolidating its role as one of the main private players in the European space sector ,” the company explained.

EUROPE SEEKS GREATER SPATIAL AUTONOMY

The project is part of the European Union ‘s (EU) strategy to strengthen its technological autonomy in accessing space, in a context of growing global competition with powers such as the US and China, especially after the launch of the Artemis II mission to the Moon.

The European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius , stressed that “the EU is committed to ensuring independent and reliable access to space” and highlighted that support for companies like PLD Space will enable the building of “a strong, competitive and resilient launcher industry ” and secure Europe’s role as a “global space power”.

The financing of PLD Space adds to the EIB Group’s ” New Space ” portfolio, chaired by the Spaniard Nadia Calviño , which includes venture debt loans to innovative European space companies operating across the entire value chain, from ground stations and satellite manufacturing to Earth observation , communications, orbital logistics, data analysis and propulsion.