The French Guiana spaceport. The Diamant launchsite is labeled “B.”
Click for full resolution image. (Note: The Ariane-5 pad is now the
Ariane-6 pad, and the Soyuz pad is now controlled by rocket startup
MaiaSpace.)

The Spanish rocket startup PLD yesterday signed a new agreement with France’s space agency CNES, which owns and operates the French Guiana spaceport in South America, to study what is required to build a second PLD launchpad there.

[B]oth parties will jointly explore the feasibility of accommodating a second launch pad at the ELM-Diamant site to support operations of MIURA 5 and MIURA 9, included in PLD Space’s contract with European Space Agency (ESA) under the European Launcher Challenge (ELC).

CNES originally planned in 2024 to upgrade the Diamant launch complex, unused since the 1970s, as a multi-use pad standardized to accommodate the rockets of seven different European rocket startups. That plan however generated little interest from those rocket companies, as their rockets are all different and standardized equipment won’t work. Only PLD committed to using the site, but it budgeted €35 million to make it specifically usable for its Miura-5 orbital rocket, which it hopes to launch from there before the end of this year.

It appears with this new deal CNES has recognized that each rocket must have its own dedicated pad. It is now partnering with PLD to help it develop launch facilities for both its Miura-5 rocket and its planned larger Miura-9.

Of the four other companies still listed by CNES as potential users of the Diamant site — Isar, Rocket Factory, Latitude, and Sirius — the first three have made plans to launch elsewhere, with Isar having long term deals to launch from Norway and Canada, Rocket Factory to launch from the United Kingdom, and Latitude from Oman. Sirius meanwhile is very new rocket startup, with its plans very much uncertain.

Hat tip BtB’s stringer Jay.