Rocket Factory Augsburg

Rocket Factory Augsburg develops the RFA ONE, a three-stage small-lift orbital launch vehicle designed to deliver up to 1,300 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit. The vehicle uses the Helix engine, an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle engine that achieves high specific impulse through oxidizer-rich combustion. The first stage employs nine Helix engines, while the second stage uses a vacuum-optimized variant. The company manufactures rocket stages using thin stainless steel tanks and commercial off-the-shelf components adapted from automotive and beverage processing manufacturing techniques to reduce production costs. First-stage sections are designed to fit on standard trucks for road transport from Augsburg headquarters to launch sites. RFA holds a UK Civil Aviation Authority launch operator license and operates from the Fredo launch pad at SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland's Shetland Islands.

Rocket Factory Augsburg operates the Redshift orbital transfer vehicle as the RFA ONE's third stage, enabling precise payload placement and future orbital servicing applications. The company operates subsidiaries in the United Kingdom focused on launch operations and in Portugal focused on composite structures and upper stage development. Engine and stage testing occurs at facilities in Augsburg and Esrange Space Center in Sweden. RFA was founded in 2018 and is backed by OHB SE and Apollo Capital Partners. The company targets launch as a service for commercial satellite operators, European Space Agency missions, and government payloads.