Miura 1 SN1 [TF-1] - El Arenosillo, Huelva, Spain - October 07 2023 - 00:19 UTC

[catdlr]

MIURA1 SN1 Test Flight PRESS CONFERENCE - English dubbed version

Scheduled for Oct 20, 2023

The Spanish company PLD Space plans to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 20, in which the technical results of the first experimental flight of MIURA 1 that took place last October 7 will be presented.

[Miuro]

Some Conclussions of the Press Release:

-MIURA1 reached 2600km/h.
-The subsonic phase was much more demanding than expected.
-More than 1000 points of improvement have been identified for implementation in MIURA5.
-It has not yet been decided whether the second MIURA1 will be launched.
-7 new test benches are to be built in Teruel.
-There are no plans to sell engines.
-MIURA5 is expected to be used in different spaceports (not only in GUYANA).
-Development of all MIURA5 subsystems is progressing well and they plan to do the first subsystem tests by the end of 2023.
-MIURA5 stage separation mechanisms are already being tested.
- First MIURA5 launch planned for 2025/2026.

[eeergo]

Trajectory was flattened because of upper-level wind analyses showing elevated risk of debris reaching the "near range" (launch pad, beaches and coast) in the event of an accidental or commanded vehicle breakup. Ran the line to the last moment to decide which trajectory to actually fly: instead of 80 km (initial plan) reach 50 km (actual).
Plots show the expected vs measured flight data.
As mentioned above, there was a challenging subsonic phase, due to larger than expected RCS action causing roll control authority anomalies, possibly caused by the large aft fins catching on the strong crosswinds between 1 and 4 km altitude. However, supersonic behavior was actually better than expected, and the oscillation didn't amplify, allowing it to fly true for the rest of the trajectory. Reentry behavior was also better than expected, and aerobrakes did well, even though their actual behavior was very difficult to model and large uncertainties remained pre-flight.
All ZARM payloads received their data as per contract.
A cheese wheel was flown as per current aerospace tradition for a maiden vehicle flight The "ahuyentalobos" brand was flown, which loosely means "wolf scarecrow" and hints at the "wolves" they had to scare off in order to succeed.

[catdlr]

Countdown and launch of MIURA 1 SN1

Comment:  Fun to watch the staff run out of the control building to watch the launch.

Flashback video of our recent successful MIURA 1 SN1 test flight on October 7th. This milestone positions PLD Space as the only European private company with launch capability in Europe today.