RFA One
| Function | Orbital launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rocket Factory Augsburg |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Cost per launch | €3 Million |
| Size | |
| Height | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Diameter | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) |
| Payload to SSO | |
| Altitude | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Mass | 1,300 kg (2,900 lb) |
| Payload to polar orbit | |
| Altitude | 2,000 km (1,200 mi) |
| Mass | 850 kg (1,870 lb) |
| Payload to MEO | |
| Altitude | 6,000 km (3,700 mi) |
| Mass | 500 kg (1,100 lb) |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | 450 kg (990 lb) |
| Payload to TLI | |
| Mass | 300 kg (660 lb) |
| Payload to GEO | |
| Mass | 150 kg (330 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| Launch sites | SaxaVord |
| First flight | 2025 (planned) |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | 9 × Helix - Staged combustion cycle |
| Maximum thrust | 900 kN (200,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 325 seconds (3.19 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Powered by | 1 × Helix Vac |
| Specific impulse | 350 seconds (3.4 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
| Third stage – Redshift | |
| Powered by | 1 × Fenix |
| Maximum thrust | 1.5 kN (340 lbf) |
| Propellant | Nitromethane/Nitrous oxide |
RFA One is a small-lift multistage launch vehicle with an on-orbit transfer stage designed to transport small and micro-satellites of up to 1,300 kg into low-Earth polar and Sun-synchronous orbits. It has been in development by German private company Rocket Factory Augsburg since 2019.
The vehicle is 30 m (98 ft) long with a diameter of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Both main stages use RP-1 fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer, while the transfer stage uses storable propellants.
Initially aiming to launch in 2022—with subsequent delays moving the target to 2024—following an anomaly on a ground test stand in August 2024, the maiden launch is now slated for no earlier than 2025.