PLD Space has successfully achieved a full rocket engine test for the MIURA 1 mission.
TEPREL B is the regenerative engine, designed by PLD Space,that will be used on MIURA 1 flights and is a key milestone in engine qualification campaign, achieving a full-time engine validation on Wednesday, February 26, 2020.
In May of 2019, PLD Space suffered a catastrophic engine failure, which resulted in material damage, including the loss of the first flight version of the TEPREL-B liquid rocket engine, developed by the company for the MIURA 1l launch vehicle. The company then decided to pause the qualification process and analyze the root causes of the failure to solve the problems that were encountered.
Image is courtesy of PLD Space.
After eight months of hard work, PLD Space successfully achieved a full mission duration hot test of the flight engine. This allowed the company to validate the nominal engine performance during the full mission duration burn of two minutes, the necessary time to boost MIURA 1 launch vehicle into space.
Raúl Torres, CEO and Co-Founder of PLD Space, stated that this milestone is a huge step forward for PLD Space, for the Spanish space sector and European small launcher competitiveness and will allow the firm to be one of the few companies in the world that has successfully developed, tested and qualified propulsion technologies for space launch vehicles. Achieving this important milestone implies a turning point in the commercial space race and takes PLD Space step closer in launching MIURA 1 to space. With this result, PLD Space has a rocket engine capable of reaching space soon.