German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has this morning announced the completion of a long-duration hot fire test campaign of its Helix rocket engine.
Helix will power both the first and second stages of the company’s 30-metre RFA One rocket, which is designed to carry up to 1,350 kg to low Earth orbit. The maiden flight of the vehicle is currently projected to occur in 2023, lifting off from the Andøya Space Center in Norway.
The Helix long-duration hot fire test campaign involved three tests of the same flight configuration engine. All three tests were successfully completed with a total of 74 seconds of burn time. This is a major milestone for the company, marking the maturation of its engine development process.
“Helix operated perfectly for a total duration of 74 seconds– including three ignition and shut-down sequences, without the need to replace any components on the engine. This first qualification campaign also included up-throttling the engine to 130% of the nominal design point for a brief period. We are truly excited that our design has proven so reliable and performant”, said Dr. Stefan Brieschenk, the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
With the conclusion of the long-duration hot fire test campaign, RFA will now move on to integrated system testing, which the company hopes to conduct toward the end of the year.
“We have enough data to focus our attention on the next milestone, the integrated systems test of the upper stage. In this test, Helix will fire for a full duration of an upper stage flight. We have just made a huge leap towards our first launch by completing this first qualification campaign of Helix,” said Brieschenk
