Rocket Factory Augsburg AG
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
FoundedAugust 2018; 5 years ago (August 2018)
Founder
  • Jörn Spurmann
  • Stefan Brieschenk
FateActive
Headquarters
Augsburg
,
Germany
ProductsRFA One
Number of employees
200 (2023)
Websitehttps://www.rfa.space/

Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) is a German New Space 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 [de], is currently under development and scheduled to launch in the summer of 2024.[3]

History

General

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] These also make of the Board of the company together with Dr. Stefan Tweraser (CEO of RFA), who joined RFA in October 2021, and Jean-Jacques Dordain (Chairman). [5] [6] OHB SE functions as a strategic investor, Apollo Capital Partners GmbH as financial investor, and since August 2023 KKR as another financial investor.[7][6][4][5][8] In March 2021 RFA moved to their new headquarters in Augsburg.[2][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 have to launch 150kg for the German Aerospace Center (DLR) onboard the first two RFA One flights. RFA will also receive €11 million to further the development of its launch vehicle.[9]

Locations

RFA is based in Augsburg, close to Munich. Since March 2021, the main factory and offices have been located at Berliner Allee 65, Augsburg.[7][10] The company has a team based at the development and test site Esrange in Kiruna, Sweden.[7][11] Since June 2021 RFA also has a Portuguese subsidiary, "RFA Portugal Unipessoal LDA," located in Matosinhos.[12] It develops and qualifies composite structures for RFA ONE in collaboration with the technology center CEiiA.[13][14] 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 will also be launched from SaxaVord.[15]

On 29 January 2024, RFA announced plans to launch rockets monthly from SaxaVord Spaceport on Unst in the Shetland Islands, aiming for Europe's first-ever satellite delivery into orbit.[16] The company anticipates its initial launch in the summer of 2024, following extensive testing and assembly in Augsburg and on-site preparation.[16]

Launch vehicle

RFA One
Country of Origin  Germany
Manufacturer Rocket Factory Augsburg AG
Launch Cost ~€3 million[17]
Dimensions[18]
Height 30 m
Diameter 2 m
Stages 3 (two stages + Redshift OTV)
Payload Capability
Mass
Scheduled launches
Status In development
First Launch Summer 2024 (planned)[3]
First stage[18]
Engines 9 × Helix - Staged combustion cycle
Thrust 900 kN
Specific Impulse 325 s
Propellant RP-1/LOX
Second stage[7]
Engines 1 × Helix Vac
Specific Impulse 350 s
Propellant RP-1/LOX
Third / orbital stage - "Redshift"[18]
Engine 1 × Fenix bipropellant engine[19]
Thrust 1.5 kN[19]
Propellant Nitromethane fuel, unspecified oxidizer

RFA One is a three-stage rocket designed to launch small satellites and payloads of initially up to 1,300 kg into polar orbits.[20] The vehicle will be 30m long and have a diameter of 2m.[7] It is currently in development and set to launch in the summer of 2024. The vehicle is supposed to transport small and micro-satellites into Low Earth orbit (LEO) and Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

Technology

The first stage will be powered by nine Helix engines, each producing 100kN of thrust.[7][21] The second stage will support a vacuum-optimised version of the Helix engine.[21] The Helix engine will use rocket grade kerosene, known as RP-1, as its propellant and liquid oxygen as its oxidizer.[7] During 2020 the company switched 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.[22] Later versions of these components have been developed internally.

The third (or "orbital") stage, named Redshift, will function as an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV). Since its Fenix engine can be fired repeatedly, it is able to reach different orbits within one flight and complete different missions for different customers.[7] It will use a non-hydrazine based, relightable green propellant.

Production and tests

The rocket is designed for serial production and is supposed to use a large number of COTS components to reduce production and launch costs. Central components of the engines of the first two stages are to be 3D printed.

For later flights, the first stage is to be salvaged and reused, but there is no public concept for this yet. Official information on re-usability has not yet been shared by RFA. RFA was the first European company to develop and successfully tested a Staged Combustion Engine, when it conducted an 8 second test in July, 2021.[23][24] During this test the engine reached a thermal steady-state.[7]

In August 2021 RFA performed a cryogenic pressure test on a prototype first stage, during which the prototype burst.[25][7] Three hot fire tests for performed with the Helix rocket engine with a total duration of 74 seconds in July 2022. The second stage was approved for flight operations in May 2023 through the integrated system test with 280 seconds of hot fire.[26]

In April 2024, RFA reported successful installation of five of nine Helix engines onto RFA ONE's first stage in preparation for transport to SaxaVord Spaceport for hot-fire stage testing.[27]

List of launches

Date / time (UTC) Rocket,
Configuration 		Launch site Payload Orbit User Status
Summer 2024[3] RFA One SaxaVord Germany AllBertEinStein

Italy Artica Germany Curium Two

Germany ErminazGermany PCIOD

Italy SpacemindGermany Spacedream

500km SSO Multiple users Planned
Maiden flight of RFA One.
Q4 2024[28] RFA One SaxaVord Germany Midas

Germany SpacemastHungary Platform-9

Germany Vibes PioneerPoland PW3-Sat3

Germany FlamingoSpain 3Cat-8

Germany Move-Beyod

500km SSO Multiple users Planned
Second RFA One test flight.

See also

References

  1. ^ AG, Rocket Factory Augsburg (12 February 2021). "German Microlauncher start-up Rocket Factory announces unrivalled low price of EUR 3 million per rocket launch". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b Sürig, Dieter. "Rocket Factory Augsburg: Der "Henry-Ford-Moment"". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Jones, Andrew (15 November 2023). "Rocket Factory Augsburg perceives historic moment for European launch industry". SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b AG, Rocket Factory Augsburg (12 February 2021). "German Microlauncher start-up Rocket Factory announces unrivalled low price of EUR 3 million per rocket launch". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b "A New CEO Is Named For Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  6. ^ a b "ABOUT – Rocket Factory Augsburg". Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Beil, Adrian (30 August 2021). "German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg successfully performs critical tests ahead of 2022 debut". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  8. ^ Jones, Andrew (8 August 2023). "Rocket Factory Augsburg gets €30 million investment boost". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b "RFA Wins 11 Million Euros in the DLR Microlauncher Competition". NewSpace Global. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  10. ^ "CONTACT". Rocket Factory Augsburg. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ^ Menn, Andreas. "Rocket Factory Augsburg: Wird das Deutschlands erste kommerzielle Rakete?". www.wiwo.de (in German). Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Rocket Factory Augsburg launches new offices at Matosinhos, Portugal". Orbital Today. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  13. ^ Payer, Markus (1 July 2021). "Rocket Factory Augsburg expands to Portugal". SpaceWatch.Global. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Rocket Factory Augsburg launches new offices at Matosinhos, Portugal". Orbital Today. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  15. ^ "RFA secure exclusive access to SaxaVord launch pad". European Spaceflight. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  16. ^ a b "German company aims for rocket launch every month from Shetland Islands". The Independent. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  17. ^ Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (12 February 2021). "German Microlauncher start-up Rocket Factory announces unrivalled low price of EUR 3 million per rocket launch". Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  18. ^ a b c Adrian Beil (30 August 2021). "German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg successfully performs critical tests ahead of 2022 debut". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  19. ^ a b Parsonson, Andrew (30 August 2022). "European Rocket Propulsion Index - European Spaceflight". Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  20. ^ "LAUNCHER". Rocket Factory Augsburg. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Rocket Factory Augsburg Chose Helix Rocket Engine in a Public Contest". Orbital Today. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  22. ^ Krempl, Stefan (26 April 2022). "Kleinraketen: Bund beflügelt Rocket Factory Augsburg mit 11 Millionen Euro". heise online (in German). Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  23. ^ "RFA test-fired its staged combustion engine". 26 July 2021.
  24. ^ 8 Seconds Hot Fire Test - RFA, retrieved 17 May 2022
  25. ^ Cryogenic Burst Test - RFA, retrieved 17 May 2022
  26. ^ "RFA completed a crucial Full Duration Hot Fire Test of the RFA ONE Upper Stage | Space Voyaging". 11 June 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Rocket Factory Augsburg on Twitter". Twitter. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  28. ^ "RFA flies eight customers on second flight". RFA (Press release). 23 November 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.

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