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- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
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- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
Private firm to launch maiden rocket flight in Spain
A micro rocket built by a Spanish company will lift off within several weeks, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday, a first for Spain as a space race hots up in Europe.
"This rocket, when it is launched, we Spaniards we will all watch it on television and I know that when, within several weeks MIURA1 will begin its journey, the devotion and hard work of many people ... will have been worthwhile," Sanchez said at the El Arenosillo launch site at Huelva, in Andalusia.
PLD Space's MIURA1 sub-orbital launcher is intended to carry out up to four missions a year and possibly take cargo "into space and bring it back safely", according to the startup's website.
"Your dream is shared by all of Spanish society because we are led by a common goal, that is to put Spain at the forefront of this space transport industry, which is not only emerging but also powerful," the PM added.
PLD Space president Ezequiel Sanchez said the launch showcases Spain's capabilities in the sector.
"Spain is demonstrating its technological leadership in Europe by supplying the capacity which may enable us to be at the head of the strategic sector for small satellites," he said.
After MIURA1, the company plans to develop in 2024 a re-usable small launch vehicle, dubbed MIURA5, to put small satellites into orbit.
Launch pads are springing up across Europe as the small rocket market takes off after decades of institutional dominance by national space agencies.
Besides Spain, Britain, Portugal, Germany and Iceland are all running projects to put satellites into orbit.
Sanchez's announcement came on the same day the world's first 3D printed rocket, built by California aerospace startup Relativity Space, was to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
L.Peeters--CPN