At the last moment... a Spanish company cancels its first space rocket launch

Spain's BLD Space canceled a test launch of its reusable Miura-1 rocket into space at the last minute early on Saturday, a live broadcast showed, in the latest setback for European attempts to develop capabilities to send small satellites to space. outer space.

The pictures showed the cancellation of the launch in Huelva, southwest Spain, after the countdown reached zero, as flames and smoke erupted briefly from the launch pad, and no explanation has been received yet for the reason for the cancellation.

The Spanish company was trying to make the first step in a race to put small satellites into space in what would have been the first mission of its kind in Western Europe by a private company.

Europe's efforts to develop capabilities to send small satellites into space became a major focus of attention after Virgin Orbit's failure to launch an orbital rocket from British soil in January.

The Miura-1 missile, produced by BLD Space, is named after a breed of fighting bull, is as tall as a three-story building and has a payload capacity of 100 kilograms. It can also be used for zero-gravity experiments.

An earlier attempt at a subtropical test in late May was delayed due to strong high-altitude winds.