ESA Extends Boost! Contract for RFA One First Flights

The European Space Agency has awarded German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) a €2.7 million Boost! contract extension. The funding, channeled through the UK Space Agency, will support preparations for the first two flights of the RFA One small satellite launcher from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.

The €2.7 million contract extension comes from ESA’s Boost! programme, with RFA committing an equal amount of private investment.

The UK Space Agency is the source of the ESA contribution, and the agreement includes extra co-funding to expand ground and testing infrastructure at SaxaVord Spaceport.

The extension directly underpins preparations for Test Flight-1 and Test Flight-2, the initial missions of the RFA One rocket.

The first RFA One vehicle is already at SaxaVord, located on the Shetland Islands. Hot-fire testing of the fully assembled rocket on the launch pad is imminent, and a maiden launch will follow those tests.

Under the contract extension, the rocket’s second stage will undergo testing at SaxaVord, enabling hot-fire runs of fully integrated second stages.

RFA is a contender in the European Launcher Challenge, with ESA support for its ramp-up phases.

The Boost! programme awards commercial initiatives offering transportation services and supports Member States’ spaceport and testing infrastructure objectives. By accelerating RFA’s route to orbit from UK soil, the contract extension reinforces Europe’s sovereign launch capacity—a critical asset for the continent’s increasingly diverse space activities.

Hot-fire tests of the complete RFA One vehicle on the SaxaVord launch pad are expected soon.

A launch will directly follow those tests.

Second-stage testing will also be carried out at SaxaVord as part of the extension.