In a milestone for Europe, Spanish company PLD Space successfully launched the continent's first private and reusable rocket early Saturday morning.
The Miura 1 rocket took off from the southern province of Huelva and reached an altitude of 46 kilometers (28 miles). After reaching its peak, it turned back to earth and splashed down into the Atlantic Ocean.
Since it is reusable, the company is recovering the rocket this morning.
"We've reached space with a lot more determination than resources, but we've done it," the company's president Ezequiel Sanchez celebrated on Saturday.
Saturday's success comes after the company had to call off two previous launches at the last minute. The first aborted mission came in May due to high winds. The second, in June, due to a technical problem with the wires.
"We've gone through a lot of difficulties. Not just technical, but also financial and in the business sense," said the company's co-founder Rual Torres, thanking his "wonderful team."
The company said the successful test launch will pave the way for developing the Miura 5 orbital launch vehicle, which is set to take off in 2025.
The launch also puts Spain in the exclusive club of less than a dozen countries that currently have the capability to send objects into space.
