| Rocket Factory Augsburg AG | |
| Type: | Privately held company |
| Fate: | Active |
| Industry: | Aerospace |
| Hq Location City: | Augsburg |
| Hq Location Country: | Germany |
| Products: | RFA One |
| Num Employees: | 200 |
| Num Employees Year: | 2023 |
| Website: | https://www.rfa.space/ |
Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) is a German NewSpace start-up located in Augsburg. It was founded in 2018 with the mission to build rockets just like cars.[1] [2] Its multistage rocket, RFA One, is currently under development., it had been scheduled to launch during the summer of 2024;[3] however, an anomaly during a first stage static fire test in August 2024 resulted in destruction of the stage, and the launch has been postponed.
Rocket Factory Augsburg was founded as a spin-off of OHB SE in 2018 by Jörn Spurmann (CCO of RFA), Stefan Brieschenk (COO of RFA), Hans Steiniger (CEO of MT Aerospace) and Marco Fuchs (CEO of OHB SE).[4] As of 2021, Spurmann, Brieschenk, Steiniger, Fuchs, Stefan Tweraser (CEO of RFA), and Jean-Jacques Dordain (Chairman) made up the board of RFA.[5] [6] OHB SE and Apollo Capital Partners GmbH are investors.[7] [8]
In March 2021 RFA relocated to a new headquarters facility in Augsburg.[7] The company employs more than 300 people from more than 30 countries.
In April 2022 RFA won the second round of the "DLR microlauncher competition".[9] As part of this contract RFA will launch 150 kg for the German Aerospace Center (DLR) aboard each of the first two RFA One flights. RFA will also receive €11 million to further the development of its launch vehicle.
Testing of the assembled RFA One vehicle began in August 2021 with cryogenic pressure testing on a prototype first stage,[7] and hot fire tests of the Helix rocket engine began in July 2022, with an integrated stage+engine system test of 280 seconds duration in March 2023.[10] By May 2024, a hot fire test with five Helix engines was performed at SaxaVord Spaceport[11] [12] and the Redshift third stage was tested with RFA-manufactured Fenix engine for the full flight duration in July 2024.[13]
On Monday, 19 August 2024, a static fire test of the RFA One first stage with all nine engines, the same hardware that was slated to fly on the maiden flight of RFA One, was performed. An anomaly occurred that resulted in a fire, subsequent explosion, loss of the stage, and significant damage to the launch mount.[14] [15] [16]
Ground testing of a new RFA One launch vehicle is slated for 2025, and 2025 is also the revised estimate for an initial orbital launch attempt.[17]
RFA is headquartered in Augsburg, close to Munich, with composite material manufacturing in Portugal, test facilities in Sweden and Scotland, and a launch facility in Scotland.
Since March 2021, the main factory and offices have been located at Berliner Allee 65, Augsburg.[7] [18] The company has a team based at the rocket engine development and test site Esrange in Kiruna, Sweden.[7] [19] Since June 2021 RFA has had a Portuguese subsidiary, "RFA Portugal Unipessoal LDA," located in Matosinhos,[20] to develop and qualify composite structures for RFA One.[21] [22]
| Official Name: | SaxaVord Spaceport RFA launch site |
| Location Map: | Scotland Shetland |
| Caption: | Launch site location on Unst island, shown within the Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK |
| Coordinates: | 60.8181°N -0.7716°W |
| Gridreference: | HP600091 |
In January 2023, RFA announced that it had secured exclusive access to Launch Pad Fredo at the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland. The company said that the multi-year partnership included a "double-digit million pound investment" in SaxaVord by RFA. The company will use the facility to launch RFA One launch vehicle to polar and Sun-synchronous orbits. The maiden flight of the RFA One is planned to be launched from SaxaVord.[23]
On 29 January 2024, RFA announced plans to launch rockets monthly from SaxaVord Spaceport on Unst in the Shetland Islands, aiming to be Europe's first-ever launch delivering a satellite into orbit.[24] After a static fire test anomaly in August 2024, the company anticipates its initial launch in 2025,[17] following extensive testing and assembly in Augsburg and on-site preparation.
See main article: RFA One.
Rocket Factory Augsburg's first launch vehicle is RFA One, a three-stage rocket designed to launch small satellites and payloads of up to 1,300 kg into polar orbits.[25] The vehicle is long with a diameter of .[7] It has been in development since 2019. The vehicle is designed to transport small and micro-satellites into Low Earth orbit (LEO) and Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
The first stage is powered by nine Helix engines, each producing 100kN of thrust.[7] [26] The second stage will use one engine, a vacuum-optimised version of the Helix engine. The Helix engine uses rocket-grade kerosene, known as RP-1, fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer.[7] During 2020 the company redesigned Helix from a gas-generator cycle to an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle.[7] Some components used in early engine versions, such as the turbopump, were bought from the Ukrainian company Pivdenmash to shorten development time.[27] Later versions of these components have been developed internally.
The third stage, named Redshift, will function as an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV). Since its Fenix engine can be fired multiple times, it is able to reach different orbits within a single flight and complete different missions for different customers.[7] It will use a non-hydrazine based, relightable green propellant.