Almost two years after an RFA ONE first stage burst into flames during a static fire test, German rocket builder Rocket Factory Augsburg is preparing for a second attempt at the rocket’s inaugural flight from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.
In a notice published on 7 July, SaxaVord announced that a five-week launch window would open on 10 August to allow for a “rocket test flight.” Once the window opens, launch attempts can take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 4 pm and 8 pm.
The notice did not identify a specific operator, stating simply that it was “one of SaxaVord’s clients.” However, it did provide enough detail to identify Rocket Factory Augsburg as the unnamed customer.
Apart from RFA, the only other operator preparing to launch a rocket from the facility this year is HyImpulse, which plans to conduct the second flight of its suborbital SR75 rocket. However, the notice includes details about the flight’s warning zone extending north from the island of Unst, where the spaceport is located, to the island of Jan Mayen, more than 1,000 kilometres away, making it far larger than would be necessary for a suborbital flight. The warning zone also aligns with Rocket Factory Augsburg’s 2024 marine licence application, which stated that the rocket’s first stage and fairing would splash down “to the south of Jan Mayen.”
In April, Rocket Factory Augsburg announced that it was working towards a launch window opening on 1 July. However, the company stressed that “there are uncertainties, and the schedule may evolve.”
On 26 June, the company announced that it had integrated all nine Helix engines onto the RFA ONE first stage, marking a significant milestone in preparations for the rocket’s inaugural launch. The update suggested that, while a July launch may have been too ambitious, the company was not far off the mark. With SaxaVord’s announcement, RFA now appears to be closing in on its long-awaited return to the launchpad.
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