Scenes from the first hot-fire test of the Helix rocket engine built by Rocket Factory Augsburg, known as RFA, at the Swedish Space Corporation Esrange site in Kiruna, Sweden. The final scene shows testing of the RFA One rocket fairing separation designed and developed by RFA in Portugal.

Rocket Factory Augsburg’s RFA One launch vehicle is being developed in Augsburg, Germany, with hot-fire tests of the engine and second stage performed at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden, under an initial Boost! co-funding committed by ESA in 2022.

Staged combustion technology has higher efficiency and performance compared to conventional open-cycle rocket engines. The partially-unburned exhaust gases from the turbopump are fed into the main combustion chamber, avoiding release of unburned fuel. Recycling the exhaust significantly increases the efficiency of the launch vehicle while reducing launch costs and minimizing CO2 emissions during rocket launches.

RFA One is an orbital vehicle that will have three stages and be launched from its Saxavord launchpad in the UK. Measuring 30 m tall and 2 m in diameter, RFA One targets a deployment capability of up to 1300 kg to a 500 km polar orbit.