German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has stated that it is preparing for the maiden flight of its RFA ONE rocket in the second quarter of 2024. However, the flight appears to have slipped to the fourth quarter of this year.
RFA will be launching the maiden flight of RFA ONE from SaxaVord, a spaceport that is being constructed on a small island off the coast of Scotland. As part of its construction, the spaceport conducts semiregular dialogues with the local community council. The January minutes of this community council include a statement from SaxaVord explaining that the facility would formally open between April and May and that the RFA “orbital launch is targeted for the last quarter of this year.” European Spaceflight has, however, also received additional information that may contradict this assertion.
In a series of WhatsApp messages seen by European Spaceflight from an RFA employee WhatsApp group in January 2024, CEO Stefan Tweraser explains that the company’s “credibility hinges on a successful launch in Aug 24.” This would still put the maiden flight of RFA ONE outside the current Q2 2024 target, but it would give it far more breathing room to ensure it can pull off a launch attempt before the end of the year.
While there is some uncertainty about a possible launch date, what is clear is the company’s preparations for a maiden RFA ONE flight have not been uneventful.
A flying beer keg?
In January, a source told European Spaceflight that a mishap during a compression test had resulted in the first flight version of the RFA ONE first stage buckling.
On 22 January, a request for comment was sent to RFA with a spokesperson telling European Spaceflight that the company “can not provide any information on test results or the technical development status beyond the public information.” The statement added that “preparations for the hot fire of the first stage in SaxaVord are going well, and the first launch is still planned for summer 2024.”
On 23 January, just one day after we sent a request for comment, RFA posted a video of a buckled RFA ONE first stage being popped back into shape with a timestamp that revealed the video had been shot on 22 November 2023. Curious timing.
The stage has also posed an interesting manufacturing challenge for RFA, with the company needing it cheap and manufactured within the company’s tight deadlines. In an effort to get both, RFA looked to an unconventional supplier.
In an internal email from Stefan Brieschenk, the RFA CEO explains that they “need a little more pressure margin on the tank.” The email goes on to state that “burst pressure must have a 20% margin on the qualification pressure.” The reason? The tank was manufactured by a company that specializes in tanks that are traditionally used to brew beer. “I am happy to reduce that a little, but what we have currently is too aggressive for a brewery tank that is manufactured out in the sticks somewhere.”
RFA TWO?
In addition to sharing a more specific targeted launch date, the messages from the internal employee WhatsApp group also included a reference to a “bigger rocket” called RFA TWO. While no specific details were shared, the message did reveal that the rocket will be powered by an upgraded variant of the company’s Helix engine called Helix NGx.
In November 2022, launch aggregator Precious Payload leaked the existence of RFA ONE MAX. A source familiar with the vehicle told European Spaceflight that the rocket would feature an additional ring of Helix engines on the first stage, giving the rocket a stepped appearance from the first to second stages, much like Vega. At the 15th European Space Conference in January 2023, OHB Chief Strategist Lutz Bertling revealed that RFA ONE MAX would be capable of delivering a Galileo satellite to MEO, which would be a more than 200-kilogram performance boost over the standard RFA ONE to that reference orbit.
Is RFA developing both the RFA TWO and the RFA ONE MAX, or has the RFA TWO replaced the larger RFA ONE variant in the company’s medium to long-term strategy?
