German Launcher RFA Secures Customers for Second Test Flight

RFA announces customer payloads for its second test flight. Photo: Rocket Factory Augsburg

Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is fully booked for the second test flight of its rocket set for 2024, through a program with the German government. RFA won the DLR Microlauncher competition in 2022 organized by the German Space Agency and German Aerospace Center (DLR). This secured the government as the anchor customer for its first two flights. 

DLR chose the customers for the second flight after soliciting applications in a payload competition. RFA announced the customers on Nov. 23. The total payload mass is 200 kg. The RFA ONE test launch is designed to reach Sun-Synchronous Orbit at 500 km.

The payloads include the MIDAS mission for DLR Cologne; SpaceMast camera mast for DLR Braunschweig; Platform-9 in EnduroSat’s Shared Satellite Constellation; the VIBES Pioneer is a 3U cubesat for Hochschule Bremen; PW-Sat3 for the University of Warsaw; Vyoma’s pilot mission Flamingo; the 3Cat-8 mission for Spain’s Universitat Politecnica De Catalunya; and the MOVE-BEYOND mission for Germany’s Technische Universität – WARR e.V.

RFA CCO Jörn Spurmann said: “We are delighted with the high demand for our second launch, which underlines the growing confidence in our launch service product and the RFA team. The successful partnership with the German Space Agency (DLR) is seen as a pioneering model for efficient cooperation at the European level.”