PLD Space has closed a €180 million Series C equity round led by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, while simultaneously becoming the first private company authorised to launch rockets from the historic ELM-Diamant area at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana. The ELM-Diamant authorisation follows years of collaboration with Centre National d’Études Spatiales, formalised through a MIURA 5 Launch Complex development contract signed in June 2025, and the company has already received Flight Safety Submission approval for MIURA 5, confirming the vehicle meets the spaceport’s safety requirements.
Miura 5 is a two-stage European orbital recoverable launch vehicle capable of inserting 1000 kg of payload into a low Earth orbit (LEO). A key feature of the Miura 5 is its reusable first stage. The recovery process plans to employ a combination of engine thrust and parachutes.
On the ground, preparations are well underway. Civil works at ELM-Diamant have begun, and PLD Space maintains a permanent team in French Guiana to support integration, testing, and launch operations. The first MIURA 5 orbital launch campaign is scheduled for 2026 — a significant step for a company that has already demonstrated flight heritage through the suborbital Miura 1 mission. By 2030, the company is targeting a commercial cadence exceeding 30 launches per year.
Fuelling that ambition, the Series C capital will support industrial scale-up, expanded production capacity, and the buildout of a global launch infrastructure. Adding further credibility, the company has been selected for European Space Agency – ESA‘s European Launcher Challenge (ELC) programme, valued at €169 million.
Together, these milestones mark a genuine step forward for European sovereign launch capability — and when MIURA 5 lifts off from the French Guiana launch centre in 2026, it will be the first time a commercial company has ever launched from there.
Image Credit: PLD Space
PLD Space Raises €180M Series C as it Prepares for Historic First Launch from French Guiana Space Centre
