Spain launches private reusable rocket in milestone for Europe

Spanish company PLD Space launched its reusable Miura-1 rocket early on Saturday from a site in southwest Spain, carrying out Europe's first fully private rocket launch and offering hope for its stalled space ambitions, Report informs, referring to Reuters.

The startup's test nighttime launch from Huelva came after two previous attempts were scrubbed. The Miura-1 rocket, named after a breed of fighting bull, is as tall as a three-storey building and has a 100-kg (220-pound) cargo capacity. The launch carries a payload for test purposes, but this will not be released, the company said.

A first attempt to launch the Miura-1 rocket in May was abandoned because of high-altitude winds. A second attempt in June failed when umbilical cables in the avionics bay did not all release in time, halting the lift-off as smoke and flames spewed from the rocket.