Linea Directa 200 LEFT COL CAR INSURANCE

PROPERTY SEARCH

DomusVi Ciudad de Murcia residential cross content 1200

Date Published: 10/10/2023

Spanish space rocket lost in the Atlantic

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

The Elche-built shuttle finally completed a successful launch, only to be lost at sea

Spanish space rocket lost in the Atlantic

It appears celebrations over the eventual launch of the Miura I space rocket might have been a little premature as the ill-fated shuttle is now lost somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

In any case, it was finally third time lucky on Saturday October 7 for the Elche-built rocket, the first one sent into space from Spain. After two previous failed attempts, the Miura 1 microlauncher was successfully sent into the skies from Huelva on a 5-minute journey, while a team of divers anxiously waited in the water to recover the reusable machinery.

Sadly though, the experts have been unable to haul up the rocket, the remains of which scientists were planning on studying exhaustively for clues on how future space missions might unfold.

After just over five minutes of flight, the Miura 1 splashed down in the early hours of Saturday morning. The launcher landed in the Atlantic as planned, around 70 kilometres from its starting point. But even though the valuable equipment is fitted with top of the range location devices, divers were unable to retrieve the spacecraft from the water.

And while parent company PLD Space hasn’t been able to complete the mission, a spokesperson said that it feels "proud to have successfully fulfilled all the primary objectives of this flight mission in an unforgettable launch."

With this successful launch, Spain has become part of the space elite, joining just ten other world nations who have achieved similar goals, along with the United States, Russia, China, India, South Korea, France, Italy, New Zealand and Japan.

The groundbreaking flight lasted precisely 306 seconds and for a brief few moments, the Miura I actually reached microgravity, which was the primary objective. The rocket managed to climb to a height of 46 kilometres, although 80 kilometres was the original goal.

PLD Space, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, will now use the knowledge gleaned from this launch to develop a new shuttle, the Miura 5, which the experts hope will be at the forefront of space satellite technology in Europe.

Also of interest: Spanish company vows to take 10,000 tourists to space within the decade

Images: PLD Space

Linea Directa Bottom Article M-Z CAR INSURANCE

staff.inc.ali

Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox

Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)