Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA)

Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) was founded in 2018 as a German NewSpace start-up with the mission to "build rockets just like cars" – emphasizing mass production techniques and cost efficiency. The company was established as a spin-off from OHB SE by Jörn Spurmann (CCO), Stefan Brieschenk (COO), Hans Steininger (CEO of MT Aerospace), and Marco Fuchs (CEO of OHB SE). RFA is headquartered in Augsburg, close to Munich, with composite manufacturing in Portugal, test facilities in Sweden and Scotland, and its launch facility at SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland. RFA's flagship product is RFA One, a three-stage rocket designed to launch small satellites and payloads of up to 1,300 kg into polar orbits. The 30-meter tall vehicle with 2-meter diameter features nine Helix staged-combustion engines in the first stage, each producing 100kN of thrust. The company has been developing RFA One since 2019, applying automotive-industry inspired mass production methods to reduce costs and increase launch cadence. On January 16, 2025, RFA achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first company in Europe to receive a spaceflight operator license for vertical launches of a privately developed orbital rocket from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. While the program experienced a setback with a first-stage explosion during a static fire test in August 2024 at SaxaVord, the company rapidly recovered, was selected for the European Space Agency's European Launcher Challenge in July 2025, and continues development toward an inaugural test flight from Scotland. With major development milestones completed including second-stage qualification, orbital transfer vehicle testing, and payload fairing systems, RFA is focused on completing first-stage development and conducting full hot-fire tests.