German rocket startup secures €30M for launch this year.
German rocket startup secures €30M for launch this year.
Europe’s Rising Star: Rocket Factory Augsburg Carves Out a Niche in the Small Satellite Space
While the US and China have long dominated the space sector, Europe is finding its own niche in the field of small satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO). One of the most promising startups leading this charge is Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA). Recently, RFA secured a significant investment of €30 million from American investment firm KKR, propelling its ambitions even further.
The funding infusion will pave the way for RFA’s upcoming launch test scheduled for the end of this year. Additionally, it will support the completion of RFA’s launch pad at the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, which is situated on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst in the Shetland Islands – the northernmost point in the UK.
RFA’s partnership with SaxaVord Spaceport began in January 2023 when the startup signed a multi-year launch agreement, granting them exclusive access to the spaceport’s northernmost launch pad. The company has also inked an agreement with the French Space Agency to construct a dedicated launch pad at the Guiana Space Center (GSC) in French Guiana, with launches expected to commence in 2025.
“We aim to provide cost-effective access to space and data-generating business models for monitoring, connecting, and protecting our planet,” said Stefan Tweraser, CEO of RFA. Tweraser co-founded RFA in 2018 alongside Jörn Spurmann, Stefan Brieschenk, Hans Steiniger, and Marco Fuchs as a spin-off of German aerospace firm OHB SE.
RFA is currently focused on developing a three-stage launcher called RFA One, boasting a payload capacity of 1,300 kilograms for low Earth orbit deployments. Standing at 30 meters tall with a 2-meter diameter, the RFA One is slightly larger than Rocket Lab’s Electron but less than half the size of SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
One of RFA’s key strategies is to undercut its competition by offering payloads up to 1,300 kg at a base cost of $3,000 to $4,000 per kg. The company is aiming to launch approximately 50 times per year by 2030 to dedicated orbits, specifically for full satellite constellations.
To date, RFA has invested over €40 million in its pursuit of becoming Europe’s first small launch provider. Notable peers in this sector include UK-based Skyrora, which also plans to launch its first rocket from SaxaVord by year-end, and PLD Space, a Spanish startup aiming to launch Europe’s first reusable rocket from a site in South Spain. However, despite promising funding support, the likes of Isar Aerospace, Skyrora, PLD Space, and RFA itself have yet to attempt an orbital launch, making it challenging to gauge progress accurately in this rapidly evolving industry.
The rise of Rocket Factory Augsburg and other small launch companies in Europe signals a shift in the global space industry. While the US and China have historically dominated the sector, Europe is proving its capability to compete in the small satellite market. With its innovative approach, cost-effective solutions, and strategic partnerships, RFA is well-positioned to make significant contributions to the expanding space ecosystem. As the space race continues to evolve, Europe’s role is bound to become increasingly prominent, paving the way for exciting new developments and possibilities in the realm of space exploration.
