Spain’s PLD Space has closed a successful 2024 marked by exponential growth and a strengthening of its position in the industry.
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Press Release, Elche, 30 December 2024: [auto-translated] PLD Space, an international space services company with its own engineering and manufacturing, has closed a successful 2024 marked by exponential growth and a strengthening of its position in the industry.
PLD Space’s strategic plan, key to strengthening the brand: In 2024, PLD Space has also announced its new strategic plan, where it has unveiled MIURA Next, its new family of large reusable launchers, and LINCE, the first private manned capsule in Europe. This strategic vision consolidates the company as a benchmark in the industry worldwide and positions it as a leader of European technological sovereignty in space transport, covering the entire range of space missions.
During 2024, PLD Space has also inaugurated its new headquarters with a 12,500 square metre advanced manufacturing plant in Elche (Alicante). This state-of-the-art factory, unique in Europe, combines the most advanced production technologies with the most mature industrial techniques on the market, thus ensuring the reliability of its developments, and has the capacity to manufacture six complete MIURA 5 launchers and 60 TEPREL-C engines per year. At this plant, the company has made progress this year in the manufacture of the different subsystems that make up its launcher, following its philosophy of rapid and efficient iteration in the development process.
PLD Space has also selected Deimos to co-lead the development of the MIURA 5 Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system, a technology that will enable dedicated missions and shared flight options for small satellites, combining reliability with lower operational complexity.
In addition, in infrastructure, PLD Space has reconditioned its MIURA 1 test benches in Teruel to adapt them to the different MIURA 5 subsystems and has built new specific benches to cover the specific qualification needs of MIURA 5. In these own facilities, of 154,000 square metres, the company has advanced this 2024 in the MIURA 5 test campaigns.
In addition, as part of its strategic plan, PLD Space has presented its new corporate brand identity under the positioning ‘The Launcher Company’ that conveys the leap in maturity that the company has experienced, as well as the exponential growth it intends to achieve.
2024 – the year in which the company consolidates its leadership in the aerospace sector: On the other hand, PLD Space has reinforced its leadership in the European aerospace sector after its inclusion as one of the ten Spanish companies selected in the ‘Scaling Club’ of the European Innovation Council (EIC), manager of the European Union funds dedicated to promoting innovative advances, while, for their part, Raúl Torres, Raúl Verdú and Ezequiel Sánchez, have been selected by Endeavor, the prestigious global network that promotes entrepreneurs with a high social impact.
In 2024, PLD Space has also been chosen for the Flight Ticket Initiative programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission, which promotes access to space through institutional missions, and has obtained a Boost! contract from the ESA to develop a modular satellite hosting system. In fact, during his visit to its headquarters in Elche in July, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher recognised PLD Space as an “exceptional” company, highlighting its impact on European space autonomy and its ability to meet strategic objectives.
The social impact of PLD Space: PLD Space is particularly committed to generating a positive social impact. In this regard, the company has launched the SPARK Programme in 2024, which provides free access to students, researchers and commercial entities to the first two flights of MIURA 5, reflecting the commitment to awaken young people’s interest in science, technology and space through inspiring initiatives. All these milestones have been possible thanks to a diverse workforce that, at the end of 2024, reached 276 employees from 19 countries.
“2024 has seen very relevant achievements for PLD Space and for the European and global space industry,” highlights Ezequiel Sánchez, executive president of PLD Space. “We are proud of all the milestones we have achieved this year and we look forward to 2025 with the commitment and enthusiasm that characterise us and with the aim of maintaining PLD Space’s leadership in the global space industry, ensuring Europe’s independence and sovereignty in accessing space,” he says. “As we often say, we will continue to have our heads in the stars, but our feet on the ground.”
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