Rocket Factory Augsburg launches new offices at Matosinhos, Portugal

On 30th June, German company Rocket Factory Augsburg opened new offices in Matosinhos, Portugal. RFA Portugal Unipessoal LDA will act as RFA’s subsidiary and should speed up the development of the RFAOne launch system. Eventually, the new partnership should help strengthen Europe’s position in space.

Rocket Factory Augsburg Agreement with AICEP

Besides launching a new facility in Portugal, RFA signed a multi-million euro agreement with the Portuguese Trade & Investment Agency – AICEP. Based on this agreement, AICEP will develop and qualify the RFAOne launch system in collaboration with CEiiA, Portugal’s Centre of Engineering and Product Development. All parties involved should invest a total of nine million euros over three years. As a result, the entities will design composite hardware for the RFAOne launch system, ensuring maximum vehicle performance at an affordable cost. This is not the first international agreement for Rocket Factory Augsburg that already has an engine test site in Sweden and a launch contract with the Norwegian Andoya Space Port.

Official Response to RFA and AICEP Collaboration

The officials welcomed RFA’s new offices in Portugal, claiming that the development of micro launchers will give Europe a competitive advantage in the space industry. According to Manuel Heitor, Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, the partnership should foster Europe’s autonomy and resilience in space. Besides, it should help create highly qualified jobs in the area, which will result in profits for the state budget.

According to Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer at RFA, new facilities in Matosinhos mark a very important milestone for offering one of the most competitive launch services in Europe. At the same time, Stefan Brieschenk, Chief Operating Officer at Rocket Factory Augsburg, believes that Portugal already produces some of the best composite structures, which means that the collaboration will be fruitful.