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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
234:
vehicle began in August 2021 with cryogenic pressure testing on a prototype first stage, 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. By May 2024, a hot fire test with five Helix engines was
29:
523:(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. It will use a non-hydrazine based, relightable green propellant.
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with all nine engines, the same hardware that was slated to fly on the maiden flight of RFA One. An anomaly occurred that resulted in a fire, subsequent explosion, loss of the stage, and significant damage to the launch mount.
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The first stage is powered by nine Helix engines, each producing 100kN of thrust. The second stage will use one engine, a vacuum-optimised version of the Helix engine. The Helix engine uses rocket-grade kerosene, known as
704:
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Since March 2021, the main factory and offices have been located at
Berliner Allee 65, Augsburg. The company has a team based at the rocket engine development and test site
480:. The vehicle is 30 m (98 ft) long with a diameter of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). It has been in development since 2019. The vehicle is designed to transport
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test anomaly in August 2024, the company anticipates its initial launch in 2025, following extensive testing and assembly in
Augsburg and on-site preparation.
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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.
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In March 2021 RFA relocated to a new headquarters facility in
Augsburg. The company employs more than 300 people from more than 30 countries.
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227:(DLR) aboard each of the first two RFA One flights. RFA will also receive €11 million to further the development of its launch vehicle.
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In April 2022 RFA won the second round of the "DLR microlauncher competition". As part of this contract RFA will launch 150 kg for the
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239:. and the Redshift third stage was tested with RFA-manufactured Fenix engine for the full flight duration in July 2024.
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705:"German Microlauncher start-up Rocket Factory announces unrivalled low price of EUR 3 million per rocket launch"
579:"German Microlauncher start-up Rocket Factory announces unrivalled low price of EUR 3 million per rocket launch"
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512:. Some components used in early engine versions, such as the turbopump, were bought from the Ukrainian company
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908:"RFA completed a crucial Full Duration Hot Fire Test of the RFA One Upper Stage | Space Voyaging"
803:"German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg successfully performs critical tests ahead of 2022 debut"
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286:
281:. Since June 2021 RFA has had a Portuguese subsidiary, "RFA Portugal Unipessoal LDA," located in
236:
516:
to shorten development time. Later versions of these components have been developed internally.
430:
In
January 2023, RFA announced that it had secured exclusive access to Launch Pad Fredo at the
1016:
158:
438:
On 29 January 2024, RFA announced plans to launch rockets monthly from SaxaVord
Spaceport on
172:
test in August 2024 resulted in destruction of the stage, and the launch has been postponed.
443:
979:"Fire tests of the upper Redshift rocket stage have been completed in Germany - Pravda EN"
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446:, aiming to be Europe's first-ever launch delivering a satellite into orbit. After a
217:) made up the board of RFA. OHB SE and Apollo Capital Partners GmbH are investors.
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636:"Rocket Factory Augsburg perceives historic moment for European launch industry"
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157:. It was founded in 2018 with the mission to build rockets just like cars. Its
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1308:"Kleinraketen: Bund beflügelt Rocket Factory Augsburg mit 11 Millionen Euro"
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1094:"Rocket Factory Augsburg: Wird das Deutschlands erste kommerzielle Rakete?"
1227:"German company aims for rocket launch every month from Shetland Islands"
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403:
154:
150:
101:
328:
Launch site location on Unst island, shown within the
Shetland Islands,
209:). As of 2021, Spurmann, Brieschenk, Steiniger, Fuchs, Stefan Tweraser (
1281:"Rocket Factory Augsburg Chose Helix Rocket Engine in a Public Contest"
469:
459:
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1172:"Rocket Factory Augsburg launches new offices at Matosinhos, Portugal"
1120:"Rocket Factory Augsburg launches new offices at Matosinhos, Portugal"
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859:"RFA Wins 11 Million Euros in the DLR Microlauncher Competition"
734:"A New CEO Is Named For Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) – SatNews"
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439:
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1041:"RFA pushes maiden flight to 2025 after launchpad explosion"
831:"Rocket Factory Augsburg gets €30 million investment boost"
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oxidizer. During 2020 the company redesigned Helix from a
315:
134:
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684:
Rocket engine explodes during test at
Shetland spaceport
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The third stage, named
Redshift, will function as an
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Rocket
Factory Augsburg was founded as a spin-off of
1198:"RFA secure exclusive access to SaxaVord launch pad"
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609:"Rocket Factory Augsburg: Der "Henry-Ford-Moment""
703:AG, Rocket Factory Augsburg (12 February 2021).
577:AG, Rocket Factory Augsburg (12 February 2021).
931:RFA One´s first stage arrived on the launch pad
1147:"Rocket Factory Augsburg expands to Portugal"
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476:and payloads of up to 1,300 kg into
213:of RFA), and Jean-Jacques Dordain (
634:Jones, Andrew (15 November 2023).
607:Sürig, Dieter (11 February 2021).
322:SaxaVord Spaceport RFA launch site
293:SaxaVord Spaceport RFA launch site
201:of MT Aerospace) and Marco Fuchs (
14:
1039:Rainbow, Jason (23 August 2024).
762:"ABOUT – Rocket Factory Augsburg"
1355:Space launch vehicles of Germany
1306:Krempl, Stefan (26 April 2022).
533:
464:Rocket Factory Augsburg's first
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314:
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829:Jones, Andrew (8 August 2023).
801:Beil, Adrian (30 August 2021).
421:
1365:Aerospace companies of Germany
1092:Menn, Andreas (21 June 2021).
953:"Rocket Factory Augsburg on X"
1:
1360:Private spaceflight companies
1145:Payer, Markus (1 July 2021).
242:On Monday, 19 August 2024, a
941:– via www.youtube.com.
193:of RFA), Stefan Brieschenk (
1375:Companies based in Augsburg
1391:
1021:: CS1 maint: url-status (
886:Cryogenic Burst Test - RFA
482:small and micro-satellites
457:
189:in 2018 by Jörn Spurmann (
143:Rocket Factory Augsburg AG
22:Rocket Factory Augsburg AG
1005:"Rocket factory Augsburg"
302:
285:, to develop and qualify
230:Testing of the assembled
197:of RFA), Hans Steiniger (
26:
16:German New Space start-up
521:orbital transfer vehicle
1257:Rocket Factory Augsburg
1072:Rocket Factory Augsburg
709:GlobeNewswire News Room
583:GlobeNewswire News Room
510:staged combustion cycle
225:German Aerospace Center
377:60.818091°N 0.771597°W
135:https://www.rfa.space/
39:Privately held company
490:Sun-synchronous orbit
59:; 6 years ago
1202:European Spaceflight
382:60.818091; -0.771597
287:composite structures
246:test of the RFA One
153:start-up located in
506:gas-generator cycle
373: /
294:
122:Number of employees
23:
541:Spaceflight portal
508:to an oxygen-rich
432:SaxaVord Spaceport
237:SaxaVord Spaceport
1233:. 29 January 2024
1204:. 11 January 2023
1151:SpaceWatch.Global
1011:. 19 August 2024.
671:, 19 August 2024.
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341:OS grid reference
159:multistage rocket
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81:Stefan Brieschenk
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1316:. Retrieved
1312:heise online
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1289:. Retrieved
1287:. 5 May 2022
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478:polar orbits
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330:Scotland, UK
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97:Headquarters
36:Company type
18:
1314:(in German)
1182:16 November
1156:16 November
1104:16 November
1100:(in German)
1098:www.wiwo.de
814:16 November
767:16 November
743:16 November
715:16 November
647:15 November
615:(in German)
500:, fuel and
448:static fire
380: /
355:Coordinates
248:first stage
244:static fire
170:static fire
167:first stage
64:August 2018
57:August 2018
1349:Categories
1253:"LAUNCHER"
1237:29 January
1208:3 February
565:References
514:Pivdenmash
488:(LEO) and
435:SaxaVord.
365:60°49′05″N
283:Matosinhos
1068:"CONTACT"
1052:23 August
1046:SpaceNews
989:12 August
835:SpaceNews
669:SpaceNews
641:SpaceNews
559:PLD Space
554:HyImpulse
368:0°46′18″W
258:Locations
48:Aerospace
1017:cite web
914:21 March
840:21 March
688:BBC News
527:See also
404:Scotland
347:HP600091
298:Location
215:Chairman
155:Augsburg
151:NewSpace
113:Products
102:Augsburg
44:Industry
963:14 July
492:(SSO).
470:RFA One
460:RFA One
442:in the
399:Country
271:Esrange
232:RFA One
181:General
176:History
163:RFA One
131:Website
116:RFA One
107:Germany
72:Founder
62: (
54:Founded
1318:17 May
1291:17 May
1262:17 May
1130:17 May
1077:17 May
893:17 May
869:17 May
619:17 May
589:17 May
279:Sweden
275:Kiruna
264:Munich
207:OHB SE
187:OHB SE
92:Active
1009:x.com
937:8 May
484:into
1320:2022
1293:2022
1264:2022
1239:2024
1210:2023
1184:2021
1158:2021
1132:2022
1106:2021
1079:2022
1054:2024
1023:link
991:2024
965:2024
939:2024
916:2024
895:2022
871:2022
842:2024
816:2021
769:2021
745:2021
717:2021
649:2023
621:2022
591:2022
498:RP-1
440:Unst
89:Fate
468:is
273:in
211:CEO
205:of
203:CEO
199:CEO
195:COO
191:CCO
147:RFA
1351::
1310:.
1283:.
1272:^
1255:.
1229:.
1218:^
1200:.
1174:.
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1031:^
1019:}}
1015:{{
1007:.
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676:^
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657:^
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