If the first attempt to send the first english satellite to space had to be postponed because of the wind, a technical problem forced to abort this Saturday the second attempt to launch the miura 1. Although he managed to reach the countdown and complete it, nothing happened at the El Arenisillo (Huelva) space base after the ignition command. The rocket did not take off from the launch pad and, at the same time, some flames came out from the bottom. All this, fruit of a failure during engine ignition for causes that are responsible for PLD spacethe Alicante company that has built the aircraft, have not yet clarified.
He go-around stopped at 2:43 p.m. ‘We had a’abort automatically‘ due to the non-release of the avionics umbilicals, the rest were free and the engine at nominal thrust. We analyze the data to have more information,» the company’s executive director, Raúl Torres, tweeted. Even so, from PLD Space they indicated that we will also have to wait for the final report to find out exactly what happened.
We have had an automatic Abort due to the NO release of the avionics umbilicals, the rest were free and the motor was at nominal push. 0.25 second margin. #MIURA1 it’s healthy. We analyze the data to have more information. @PLD_Space
— Raúl Torres🇪🇸 (@RaulTorresPLD) June 17, 2023
The good news is that the aircraft was not damaged and is ready for a third takeoff attempt when there are responses to what happened and the accompanying weather conditions. Meanwhile, Spain will have to wait to witness a Historic moment in the aerospace industry national and in the space racesince it will be destroyed in the tenth country with direct access to space.
🔴 Launch abort while the engine is on.
It could not have been on this occasion, we await official information.@PLD_Space #MIURA1 #VamosMIURA pic.twitter.com/n3HTrL8VZU
— Space Nosey (@SpaceNosey) June 17, 2023
In addition to being the first space rocket ‘made in Spain’, the Miura 1 is the first european vehicle of this type designed for be reusable. «This could be the beginning of a new era«, they argue from PLD space. Hence the importance of the second launch attempt this Saturday, which was scheduled between 1 in the morning and 10 in the morning and could be followed live on digital platforms.
The flight was scheduled to have a six minute duration, in which microgravity and apogee conditions would be reached at an altitude of 80 kilometers. Then, a team from the construction company would be in charge of collecting the rocket in the Atlantic Ocean after completing the splashdown.
I work at 80 kilometers of altitude
There is much to do when the flight is a reality. The main objective will be to verify the operation of key technologies during the mission, something that to date has not been possible.
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Specifically, the thrust profile of the engine in flight conditions, the aerodynamic behavior of the launcher, the nominal trajectory following, the nominal behavior of all subsystems under real conditions and the exposure to real space conditions must be verified.
This will allow «gathering the greatest volume of information possible for the validation and design of the technology that will later be transferred and integrated into the Miura 5«, explained PLD space it’s a statement. If all goes well, Spain I could have a new generation rocket successor to the current rocket in 2025.