SpaceX declines US military work as Spain's Miura 5 readies for launch

SpaceX declined three military launch contracts offered by the US Space Force on October 23, according to the Rocket Report published that day. The company told the Space Force "thanks, but no thanks." A NASA safety panel said the same day that SpaceX's Starship could require as many as 22 refuelings to support a lunar landing.

PLD Space, a Spanish launch company, is moving its Miura 5 rocket toward final integration. The small-lift vehicle is scheduled for its first flight before mid-2027. The rocket being integrated is one of three Miura 5 vehicles the company has built.

CEO Raúl Torres said in an October 19 program update that the other two vehicles exist to qualify key system elements. "Manufacturing these three vehicles has allowed our teams to work continuously across different stages of production and integration, applying the lessons learned from each qualification campaign directly to the launch vehicle," he said.

One Miura 5 second stage is now fully integrated. That stage is at PLD's Teruel test facility for a qualification campaign that includes a wet dress rehearsal and a static hot-fire test. Full integration allows system-level testing under representative operating conditions to start.

In Canada, Reaction Dynamics said it wants to raise $350 million. The company plans to grow its workforce from 68 people to more than 350. It is building Aurora, a small-lift rocket it aims to reach orbit with in 2028, and has announced Borealis, a medium-lift vehicle targeted for debut by 2031.

SpaceX has not accepted the Space Force's three offers. PLD Space has integrated a Miura 5 second stage and set its first launch before mid-2027.