The maiden flight of Spain’s first rocket, the Miura 1, was aborted due to a technical problem just before launch. The rocket was being launched by start-up PLD Space in the southwestern province of Huelva. The umbilicals, which are used to provide power and fuel to rockets, did not release as they should have, causing the automatic abort. The rocket, named after a breed of fighting bulls, was scheduled to fly 100km above Earth, but is not powerful enough to reach orbit. The sub-orbital launch was intended to carry a payload with micro-gravity experiments. Companies are rushing to develop launchers to address a growing satellite market, with around 18,500 small orbiters weighing less than 500kg projected to be launched in the coming decade.
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