The Assessment of PLD Space’s Rocket Engine, Teprel-B, Ends Successfully

The announcement of the testing completion was made on 28th August through PLD Space’s public statement. The project consisted of a thorough test of their rocket engine that runs on kerosene to check for its thrust vector control capabilities.

The successful test was backed up with video evidence on the PLD Space social media Youtube channel, where the footage displayed all three hot-fire tests. These three stages were scrutinizing the Teprel-B’s command, electric response, and actuation. 

Bolstering the claim, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Raul Torres, took to Twitter with a statement that the tests went exceptionally well. He finished off by saying that this moves them closer to the lift off of the Teprel-B engine.

Location, lease and development

All the tests were operated at the company’s Propulsion Test Facility, located in Teruel, Spain. 

They are currently under a twenty-five-year lease deal on the property as of the year 2018. During this period, PLD Space commits to spending at least 1.2 million US dollars to establish the site further. 

Is this the first trial?

In February, the company completed its maiden hot-fire trial of Miura 1 successfully. For two whole minutes, the engine burned steady. In March, the composite pressure vessel test was also a success.  But in May, an engine failure led to some damage that took eight months to investigate and fix. PLD Space aspires to send four Miura 1 crafts per year.