PLD Space lands €35M to scale European launch capacity

Spanish launch-services company PLD Space has closed €35 million in fresh funding to expand production of its MIURA family of small launch vehicles and accelerate flight testing of MIURA 5, its reusable orbital rocket aimed at the small-satellite market.

The round adds to the company's growing capital base as Europe scrambles to build sovereign launch capacity amid surging demand from defense, Earth observation and commercial constellation operators. PLD said the proceeds will fund expansion of its Elche-based manufacturing facility, hiring of engineering talent, and qualification campaigns ahead of MIURA 5's debut orbital flight.

Founded in Elche, Spain in 2011, PLD Space made its first suborbital flight with MIURA 1 in October 2023 — a milestone for European private launch. The company is positioning MIURA 5 as a reusable two-stage vehicle capable of placing up to 1,080 kg into low Earth orbit, targeting a market the European Space Agency expects to grow as institutional and commercial operators seek alternatives to Arianespace's heavier rockets and to SpaceX.

Europe's launch sector has been a strategic gap since the retirement of Soyuz access and delays to Ariane 6. National governments and the EU have pushed to seed multiple private launch providers, with Germany's Isar Aerospace, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and HyImpulse competing alongside PLD in the small-launch race. Earlier in 2025, Isar conducted the first orbital launch attempt from continental Europe.

The new funding strengthens PLD's runway as it pushes toward MIURA 5's qualification and first flight, expected from French Guiana. Source: *europeanspaceflight.com*