<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>The maiden flight of Spain's first rocket was aborted Saturday after countdown ended because of a last-minute technical problem, the start up PLD Space said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The launch of the Miura 1 in the southwestern provence of Huelva was "automatically aborted" as some of the umbilicals -- which are used to provide power and fuel to rockets -- did not release as it should, Raul Torres, a co-founder of PLD Space, tweeted.</div><div><br></div><div>"We will analyse the data to have more information," he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The launch of the Miura 1, named after a breed of fighting bulls, had initially been scheduled for May 31 but was postponed due to high winds.</div><div><br></div><div>Standing just 12 metres (40 feet) tall, the small reusable rocket was to fly 100 kilometres (62 miles) above Earth.</div><div><br></div><div>While that distance would put it in outer space, the rocket is not powerful enough to reach orbit.</div><div><br></div><div>Saturday's sub-orbital launch had been slated to bring a payload with micro-gravity experiments.</div><div><br></div><div>Companies are rushing to develop launchers to address a growing satellite market.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 18,500 small orbiters weighing less than 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) are projected to be launched in the coming decade, according to analysts from Euroconsult. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>