MADRID—Spanish company PLD Space launched its recoverable Miura-1 rocket early on Saturday from a site in southwest Spain, carrying out Europe’s first fully private rocket launch in a glimmer of hope for the region’s stalled space ambitions.
The startup’s test night-time launch from Huelva came after two previous attempts were scrubbed. The Miura-1 rocket, named after a breed of fighting bull, is as tall as a three-story building and has a 100-kg (220-pound) cargo capacity.
