The Next WebAna-Maria Stanciuc
PLD Space and CNES to study a second launch pad in French Guiana
Today, the company announced that PLD Space had entered into an agreement with CNES, the French space agency, and that both parties were considering building a second launch pad for PLD’s rockets at the spaceport in French Guiana.
They will examine whether the new pad can be accommodated at the ELM-Diamant site of the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, and CNES is converting the former Diamant rocket site into a shared base for several private launch companies.
The MIURA 5 and the bigger MIURA 9 will be supported by the pad. These rockets are part of PLD Space’s agreement with the European Space Agency under the European Launcher Challenge, an initiative intended to reduce Europe’s dependence on overseas rockets.
ESA entered into the contract in August; it is worth €158.9m and is mainly financed by Spain, with a contribution…
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