ESA Boost! extension backs RFA One first flights

Rocket Factory Augsburg has received an ESA Boost! contract extension worth 2,700,000 EUR. The extension supports preparations for the first two flights of RFA One.

The contract extension is worth 2,700,000 EUR. The funding is recorded as an ESA Boost! contract extension for Rocket Factory Augsburg, with company investment equalling the ESA contribution.

ESA is also providing extra co-funding for ground and test infrastructure at SaxaVord Spaceport.

RFA One is a three-stage orbital vehicle. Its listed measurements are 30 m and 2.15 m.

The vehicle is being developed in Augsburg, Germany, and its launch site is the SaxaVord launch pad in the UK.

SaxaVord Spaceport is in the Shetland Islands, UK. The first RFA One vehicle is already at the spaceport.

The extension supports preparations for Test Flight-1 and Test Flight-2. It also covers a second-stage test at SaxaVord Spaceport.

Rocket Factory Augsburg is preparing for its first test launch and is a contender in the European Launcher Challenge. ESA support is tied to ramp-up phases in that challenge.

The UK Space Agency is the funding source for the ESA Boost! programme contribution. Boost! awards commercial initiatives offering transportation services and supports Member States' spaceport and testing facility objectives.

The extension attaches a specific funding value and named test steps to RFA One's move toward its first flights. That gives trackers a concrete sequence: infrastructure support, second-stage testing, hot-fire checks, and launch preparation.

The funding connects Rocket Factory Augsburg to ESA's Boost! mechanism and to SaxaVord Spaceport. Boost! supports commercial transportation services and Member States' spaceport and testing facility objectives.

Hot-fire testing of the full rocket on the launch pad is coming soon.

The Test Flight-1 launch is to follow the hot-fire tests.

The second stage is to be tested at SaxaVord Spaceport under the contract extension.