- The company has committed to cover standard service costs for the two MIURA 5 demonstration launches, scheduled for late 2025 and early 2026 respectively.
- The initiative invites educational institutions, universities, institutions and companies from around the world to submit innovative and distinctive proposals to address Earth's challenges through space-based solutions.
- The project is supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Generalitat Valenciana, the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) and the European Space Educational Resources Office in Spain (ESERO Spain), part of the European Space Agency (ESA).
PLD Space presented today its MIURA 5 SPARK This programme will allow educational centres, universities, institutions and companies from all over the world to access the first two launches of MIURA 5 free of charge. The company is committed to covering the costs of the mission with the ultimate goal of promoting scientific and technological innovation to improve people's lives from space.
To this end, the initiative has the institutional support of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Generalitat Valenciana, as well as the support of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) and the European Space Educational Resources Office in Spain (ESERO Spain), belonging to the European Space Agency (ESA).
The MIURA 5 SPARK program offers small satellite launch services to students, research centers, institutions and commercial entities that present innovative and creative proposals to address Earth’s challenges from space. PLD Space will select satellites from around the world for the two MIURA 5 demonstration flights, scheduled for the last quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, respectively. The selected satellites will receive standard launch services at no cost.
“At PLD Space we are firmly committed to fostering the involvement of society in the space industry. The first test flights of MIURA 5 offer a unique opportunity for students, researchers, institutions and companies to test their innovations in the challenging environment of space,” says Raúl Verdú, Head of Business Development and co-founder of PLD Space.
“The Spanish Space Agency supports initiatives such as PLD Space’s MIURA 5 SPARK programme, which are in line with our ultimate goal of facilitating access to space and bringing space innovation closer to society,” adds Juan Carlos Cortés, director of the Spanish Space Agency.
MIURA 5 SPARK Program Requirements
The combined mass of all the small satellites selected through this call is 450 kg per flight, which will be launched into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometres.
The main selection criteria include the country of origin, with priority given to Spanish entities, followed by EU Member States, NATO Member States and major non-NATO Allied States. In addition, PLD Space will prioritise proposals from universities, research centres and commercial entities that are willing to integrate experiments by teams of primary, secondary and vocational training students.
Other conditions to consider include payload mass requirements, orbit flexibility, compliance with technical standards, launch window, schedule flexibility, satellite development status, operational risks, and mission attractiveness.
The phases of the call for proposals
Following today’s announcement of the open call for proposals, the preliminary application period will begin, ending on 30 July. PLD Space’s mission management team will conduct an initial evaluation and notify shortlisted applicants on 30 August. Candidates whose mission proposals make it past this stage will receive the MIURA 5 User Guide, detailing expected maximum flight and activity times. They will then have one month to submit their final applications. The final selection of candidates will be announced on 30 November and the signing of launch service contracts will be completed on 30 December.
In the case of primary, secondary and vocational training centres, interested teams can register their experiment idea for the chance to fly alongside a commercial entity. In this case, there will be no pre-selection process and they will have until 31 October to submit their proposals.
Mission management costs included
Within the framework of the SPARK MIURA 5 Programme, PLD Space undertakes to cover the costs related to mission management, accommodation on the MIURA 5 launcher, fuel handling, transport to the launch site, storage and handling costs, as applicable, as well as any other operational costs related to the provision of the standard launch service. For their part, the applicants will be responsible for the costs of compliance with the technical requirements and any additional testing for the safety of the satellite.
Visit MIURA 5 SPARK Program here: www.programa-spark.pldspace.com
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