Rocket Factory Augsburg Wins 11 Million Euros in DLR Microlauncher Competition

Rocket Factory Augsburg won another round in the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) microlauncher competition. Besides winning an anchor contract from the German government, RFA has secured a monetary prize of 11 million euros. On winning the 2022 round of the DLR competition, RFA is finalising its preparations for the debut flight of its RFAOne rocket. The latter will carry up to 150kg of government payload during its first two flights.

About DLR microlauncher Competition

The DLR microlauncher competition aims to offer German in-orbit service providers an impetus to develop cost-effective commercial solutions for space transportation. The board of judges included representatives from the German government and industry experts. The latest round won by RFA comes as a continuation of the European Space Agency’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support programme funded by the German government.

Rocket Factory Augsburg Upcoming Plans

Rocket Factory Augsburg, founded in 2018, is now working on an RFA One microlauncher. The 30-metre high and 2-metre wide rocket can deliver up to 1,350kg of payload to the low polar Earth orbit. Recently, the company has conducted successful hot-firing engine tests, which was named Helix in a public contest, along with efficient pressure tests for the engine’s reusable core. Rocket Factory Augsburg expects to launch its rocket up to 50 times, offering high payload reliability and competitive delivery cost.

According to Rocket Factory Augsburg Chief Commercial Officer Jörn Spurmann, the company is very pleased to have the German government as its anchor customer. He states that ordering services from new industry players is the best solution that can ensure the market for European spaceflight keeps developing. Spurmann adds that launching with Rocket Factory Augsburg will also give many other aerospace companies in Germany a unique opportunity to throttle a whole new range of in-orbit and ground segment services.