RFA One

RFA One

Manufacturer	Rocket Factory Augsburg AG
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 ISS Orbit	1,600 kg (3,500 lb)
Payload to Polar Orbit	to 300 km 1,350 kg (2,980 lb) to 700 km 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) to 2000 km 650 kg (1,430 lb)
Payload to GTO	450 kg (990 lb)
Launch history
Status	In development
First flight	Scheduled for late 2022
First stage
Engines	9 × Staged Combustion Engines
Thrust	Sea level: 100 kN (22,000 lbf)
Fuel	RP-1/LOX
Second stage
Engines	1 × Staged Combustion Engine
Specific impulse	350 s (3.4 km/s)
Fuel	RP-1/LOX
Orbital stage (optional)
Engines	1 × Orbital Stage Engine
Specific impulse	325 s (3.19 km/s)
Fuel	unspecified green bipropellant

RFA One is a three-stage rocket currently in development by Rocket Factory Augsburg, a German aerospace company, that may provide launch services for small satellites and payloads of up to 1,300 kg as early as 2022.

Launch Vehicle

RFA One's Staged Combustion Engine

Technology

The first stage will be powered by nine staged combustion engines, each providing up to 100 kN of thrust using rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellants. The second stage will use a vacuum optimized version of the same the engine. RFA is the first European to develop and manufacture a staged combustion engine. Different from conventional open cycle rocket engines, in the closed cycle of a staged combustion engine the partially unburnt propellant from the oxygen-rich preburner is led into the main combustion chamber, increasing its performance while preventing fuel from being released into the atmosphere. This results in a more efficient propulsion.

The third stage or orbital stage will also serve as an Orbital Transfer Vehicle, capable of precisely deploying complete small satellite constellations in the desired orbit. As the engine is re-ignitable multiple times, the OTV is also able to reach various orbits and complete several missions for different customers within one flight. The engine will use an unspecified green bipropellant. In total, the rocket will be 30 meters long and have a diameter of about 2 meters. The company has successfully conducted an eight seconds hot fire test of the engine in March 2021 and a cryogenic pressure test of the first stage in August 2021, reaching important milestones for the first launch scheduled in September 2022.

Launch

RFA One's first launch is scheduled for late 2022 from the Norwegian Andøya Space. For later launches, Europe’s Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, is discussed as well to offer RFA access to more orbits. Possible launch sites in Portugal and the North Sea are being discussed.

RFA One's Second Stage Tank

Production

The launcher is designed to be manufactured in serial production and to rely on many parts available commercially off the shelf, allowing for a low-cost production hence lower launch costs. The first and second stage engines will be 3D-printed. RFA aims to recover the first stage to further reduce costs in the future.

References

This article "RFA One" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:RFA One. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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