Back to Companies
R

Rocket Factory Augsburg

Develops the RFA ONE small launch vehicle and Redshift orbital transfer vehicle to deliver satellites to any orbit from European spaceports.

Founded 2018201-500 employeesAugsburg, Germany0 open positionsWebsiteLinkedIn

Space & Satellites

Products & Solutions

RFA ONE
RFA ONE
A three-stage small launch vehicle standing 30 metres tall, powered by nine Helix staged-combustion engines on the first stage. It delivers up to 1,300 kg to 500 km sun-synchronous orbit, 850 kg to 2,000 km polar orbit, or 450 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. The rocket uses stainless steel tanks with common bulkheads and automotive-grade composite interstages manufactured on in-house automated tape-laying equipment. It is offered in dedicated and rideshare configurations, with first-stage recovery planned for a future variant.
Redshift OTV
Redshift OTV
An orbital transfer vehicle that rides as the upper stage of RFA ONE and provides last-mile payload delivery to any target orbit. Equipped with a vacuum-optimised Helix engine and more than 2.5 km/s of delta-v, Redshift can perform altitude adjustments, inclination changes and phase shifts during a single mission, enabling one launch to serve multiple operators at different orbits. It is offered in multiple configurations with modular payload accommodation.

Videos

Full Virtual Opening Ceremony – Inaugurating the Rocket Factory

RFA ONE S1 Test Anomaly Update (Official)

About

Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is a German launch services company founded in 2018 as a spinoff from OHB and MT Aerospace Holding. Headquartered in Augsburg, the company develops and manufactures small launch vehicles and propulsion systems aimed at providing flexible, low-cost access to orbit for commercial and institutional satellite operators.

Offices

Augsburg, GermanyKiruna, SwedenUnst, Shetland, United Kingdom

Backed by

KKROHBUK Space AgencyDLR

Customers & Partners

ESAOHB Cosmos InternationalDLRSaxaVord SpaceportCNESATMOS Space CargoYuri

Timeline

2025-07
Pre-selected by ESA as one of five candidates for the European Launcher Challenge, with up to €169 million per company earmarked.
2025-01
RFA UK received the first vertical orbital launch operator licence issued in Europe, from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
2023-08
Secured a €30 million investment from KKR via convertible bond, with OHB continuing as strategic investor.
2023-06
Completed a 280-second full-duration upper stage hot fire test, the first staged-combustion engine test of this type in Europe.
2022
Won the DLR microlauncher competition, securing German government backing for RFA ONE development.
2018
Founded in Augsburg as a spinoff from OHB and MT Aerospace Holding.

Open Positions (0)

No positions available

Rocket Factory Augsburg doesn't have any open positions at the moment.

Rocket Factory Augsburg owns its name, logo and all referenced trademarks — used here for identification only. Claim, update or remove this profile.