Spain's first private rocket successfully lifts off

A Spanish company launched the country's first private rocket on Saturday in a step towards bringing Spain into the exclusive club of space-faring nations. The launch of the small MIURA1 rocket took place at 02:19 am local time from a military base in the southern region of Andalusia, according to the company, PLD Space.

The company hailed the launch as "successful" and said it had achieved all its "technical objectives", with the rocket rising 46 kilometres above the Gulf of Cadiz. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez celebrated the launch of MIURA 1, the first rocket constructed entirely with Spanish technology, as a significant achievement.