> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nupath.eu/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# PLD Space secures €158.9 million ESA award for reusable launcher
- URL: https://www.nupath.eu/pld-space-secures-eu158-9-million-esa-award-for-reusable-launcher/
- Published: 2026-08-28T05:12:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-28T05:12:30.000Z
- Author: Christian Triantafillou Schade
- Tags: News, Spain, #source_EU-Startups

Spanish space company PLD Space receives €158.9 million from the European Space Agency under the European Launcher Challenge to develop reusable launch capabilities. The funding supports commercial orbital launches and upgraded MIURA 5 capacity, reinforcing Europe's strategic autonomy in space access. PLD Space also raised €180 million in March and €30 million from the EIB in April. **(EU-STARTUPS)**

[PLD Space continues stellar year of growth with €158.9 million ESA awardPLD Space, a Spanish space transportation company, has been awarded €158.9 million by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the European Launcher Challenge (ELC) – a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening Europe’s autonomous, competitive, and resilient access to space. This comes amid a notable year of growth for the Elche-based SpaceTech company, having raised an €180 million Series C in March, a €30 million EIB venture-debt facility in April, and a €35 million investment for its Launch Complex at the Guiana Space Centre in June – making 2026 a year of expansion for the launch company. “ESA’s selection of PLD Space confirms the maturity of the roadmap we have been building for years: a European launch capability designed to grow with a bold footprint, with technology, industry and execution under our own control,” says Ezequiel Sánchez, Executive President of PLD Space . Today’s announcement comes amid notable capital deployment across Europe’s SpaceTech sector in 2026\. EU-Startups has reported closed financings totalling approximately €672.5 million across satellite manufacturing and connectivity, Earth observation, propulsion, spacecraft components and space-based intelligence, including €450 million for Finland’s ICEYE, €61 million for Switzerland’s SWISSto12, €51 million for Hydrosat, €34 million for SatVu and €27 million for UNIVITY. Spain is also represented by Castellón-based Arkadia Space, whose founders previously worked at PLD Space and which secured €14.5 million for green spacecraft propulsion. “For PLD Space, this contract is not an isolated milestone. It is part of a disciplined execution path: from demonstrating our technology with MIURA 1, to proving orbital capability with MIURA 5, developing its upgraded orbital capacity to scale performance and advance reusability, and ultimately transferring those critical technologies to MIURA Next. This is how Europe builds sovereign access to space: with ambition, but also with execution,” adds Ezequiel. Founded in 2011, PLD Space is a SpaceTech scale-up on a mission to transport satellites and people into space, vertically integrating the engineering, testing, manufacturing, and operations of its reusable and sustainable rockets. Headquartered in Elche (Spain) and founded by Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdú, PLD Space’s family of MIURA launchers and LINCE crewed capsule position the company as a leader in European technological sovereignty for space transportation, covering the full spectrum of space missions. At a time when access to space has become a defining factor of strategic autonomy, Europe is reshaping its launch landscape around resilience, competitiveness, and independence. PLD Space says that today’s news reinforces the company’s role as a European launch provider building the technologies and industrial capacity required to secure reliable and sovereign access to orbit. The award covers Components A and B of the European Launcher Challenge. Component A will support the consolidation of the company’s commercial orbital launch service and the ramp-up of its flight cadence until 2030, responding to growing commercial interest in the MIURA 5 launch vehicle across global market. Component B , focused on Upgraded Orbital Capacity, will support the development of enhanced capabilities for MIURA 5, designed to serve institutional and commercial missions that require greater payload capacity and orbital reach, as well as incorporate propulsive landing capabilities as a step toward reusability. The development of MIURA 5’s upgraded orbital capacity is part of PLD Space’s technology roadmap and represents a strategic step toward MIURA Next – the company’s family of heavy launchers. Key subsystems and upgrades developed under the Upgraded Orbital Capacity programme are being engineered for direct transferability to future heavy launch vehicles, allowing PLD Space to accelerate the path toward next-generation launch capabilities while reducing technical risk and maximizing technology investments. This contract supports PLD Space’s position as one of Europe’s leading private space companies and advances its mission to provide sovereign, resilient, and competitive launch capabilities for Europe in the decades ahead. The post PLD Space continues stellar year of growth with €158.9 million ESA award appeared first on EU-Startups.![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/pld-space-continues-stellar-year-of-growth-with-e158-9-million-esa-award/&sz=64)EU-Startups![](https://www.eu-startups.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PLD-Space.png)](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/pld-space-continues-stellar-year-of-growth-with-e158-9-million-esa-award/?ref=nupath.eu)