Rocket Factory Augsburg
Designs small-lift orbital launch vehicles using oxygen-rich staged combustion engines and serial manufacturing techniques from commercial industries
Rocket Factory Augsburg develops the RFA ONE, a three-stage small-lift orbital launch vehicle delivering up to 1,300 kg to sun-synchronous orbit. The vehicle uses the Helix oxygen-rich staged combustion engine and thin stainless steel common-bulkhead tanks manufactured with commercial off-the-shelf components to reduce production costs. RFA holds a UK CAA launch operator license and operates from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.
The Redshift orbital transfer vehicle serves as the third stage, providing precise payload placement from LEO to GTO with over 2.5 km/s delta-v. RFA operates subsidiaries in the UK for launch operations, in Portugal for composite structures, and conducts engine testing at Esrange in Sweden. Founded in 2018 as a spin-off of OHB SE, the company was preselected by ESA for the European Launcher Challenge in July 2025.
