PLD Space has raised €210 million in 2026 alone. The company has never launched an orbital rocket.
That paradox captures the state of European launch: the continent’s political demand for sovereign access to space has outrun the hardware. Daniele Dallari is Sales and Customer Manager at PLD Space, the Elche-based launch company developing MIURA 5, a two-stage vehicle designed to carry up to 1,040 kilograms to low Earth orbit. His job is to convert that political demand into signed launch contracts.
Dallari brings more than 15 years of international B2B sales experience to the role, with a technical background in launch services. Before joining PLD Space, he was Sales Manager at Southern Launch, Australia’s privately operated spaceport provider, where he worked on launch campaign preparation, regulatory interfaces, and commercial customer acquisition. The move from Australian spaceport operations to a European launch startup traces the same pattern that defines PLD Space itself: building commercial launch capability outside the traditional incumbent framework.
The capital raises tell the company’s momentum story. In March 2026, PLD Space closed a €180 million Series C led by Mitsubishi Electric, the largest equity round raised by a European launch company. In April, the European Investment Bank signed a €30 million venture debt loan to support MIURA 5’s final development. The investment thesis is explicit: Europe needs dedicated small-launch capability beyond Ariane 6 and Vega-C, and PLD Space is positioned to provide it from the Guiana Space Centre, with capacity for up to 30 missions per year.
The vehicle is approaching its maiden orbital flight, scheduled for later this year from French Guiana. MIURA 1, a suborbital demonstrator, flew successfully in 2023, making PLD Space the first private European company to reach space with a liquid-fueled rocket. MIURA 5 represents the step from demonstration to commercial service.
At SmallSat Europe, Dallari joins a defense-stage panel titled “Launch panel: European access to space for defense,” alongside ESA’s Dr. Dietmar Pilz and SpaceNews’ Jeff Foust. SatNews reported in February 2026 on the global shift toward sovereign launch as U.S. allies build independent access to orbit. The panel addresses whether Europe’s emerging launch startups can meet defense procurement timelines.
€210 million raised. Zero orbital flights. The hardware has to catch up to the capital.