Tag: RFA
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UK domestic launch milestone as RFA ONE rocket arrives in Scotland
German aerospace company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has achieved a significant milestone in its quest to conduct the UK’s first orbital launch, delivering both the first and second stages of its RFA ONE rocket to SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland’s Shetland Islands. The arrival of the stages marks a key step forward following a setback in…
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RFA and SaxaVord target UK’s first vertical orbital launch
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is determined to debut its RFA One rocket by the end of this year. Applying industrialization techniques to building low-cost, high-performance rockets, the flight could become the first vertical orbital launch from UK soil. Progress on two further pads is underway at the SaxaVord spaceport, as the two organizations count down…
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Launch providers step closer to first orbital launch from UK soil
The awarding of the UK’s first commercial vertical launch license in December marked a significant milestone on the path to developing Scotland as a European launch leader. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) plans to conduct its inaugural orbital launch from UK soil this year, with other companies currently awaiting their licenses to extend Europe’s access to…
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RFA static fires at SaxaVord Spaceport as other UK spaceports continue to develop
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), from Augsburg, Germany, appears to have made a significant step toward the first vertical orbital launch attempt from the United Kingdom (UK). On May 16, RFA successfully conducted an unannounced first static fire of the first stage of its RFA ONE rocket. A video showing the test has since been released,…
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This Week In Spaceflight: Vulcan fires up, Canadian fires from space, and JWST deep field data
A variety of methalox rockets are approaching launch, with the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket completing its flight readiness firing. What’s more, the wildfires currently raging in Canada have been studied from space using a plethora of weather observation satellites, and the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) advanced extragalactic survey data was officially released.…
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RFA reveals second stage and updates test path to 2023 launch
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has revealed the second stage for its upcoming RFA ONE rocket. The company’s tweet showed a second stage, integrated with a Helix engine. This engine will power both the first and second stages. NASASpaceflight spoke to RFA about the reveal and RFA’s test campaign for the second stage pathfinder. The company…
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Rocket Factory Augsburg talks reusability plans and 3D printing
In a recent interview with NASASpaceflight, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) co-founder and COO Dr. Stefan Brieschenk talked about current manufacturing methods and upcoming plans for its RFA ONE rocket. Rocket Factory Augsburg is a German launch startup, based in the city of Augsburg. With the ultimate goal of building rockets like cars, the RFA ONE…
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German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg successfully performs critical tests ahead of 2022 debut
The German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg, or RFA, has concluded another test of their RFA One rocket. In the test, the company performed a destructive cryogenic pressure test of their first stage prototype. The company has shown a video in which the prototype stage broke apart after it was fueled with cryogenic nitrogen to test…