On August 19, during a static fire test, the first stage of a Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) rocket experienced an anomaly. As a result, the booster intended for the inaugural flight of the RFA ONE vehicle was destroyed.
The news was initially shared by the German company in a statement on their social media. Later, the BBC released a video of the failed test at SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, UK.
Now, the maiden liftoff will face a delay, as a new stage needs to be prepared and tested, along with analyzing and resolving the issues that led to the loss of the first booster.
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The failed test
In the video released by the British broadcaster, it can be observed that the anomaly occurred immediately upon ignition of the Helix engines. Shortly after, the entire first stage was engulfed in flames before exploding on the pad.
As reported by RFA, no one was injured in the incident. According to the company the launch pad was saved, However, as visible in the publicly available footage, the stage failure resulted in a spectacular explosion that likely caused some damage to the pad, which will need to be assessed. Given the transparency of the German startup, we can expect more information on the matter in the coming days.
RFA is now working with authorities and the SaxaVord Spaceport to gather valuable data to understand what happened and address the issues.
As emphasized in the statement, the development of their rocket is based on an iterative approach that involves numerous real tests. This type of incident is taken into account as part of the process.
A spokesman for SaxaVord said: “We will work with RFA to understand and learn from the causes and support them as they move forward to the next phase of their preparations.”
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RFA ambitious plans
Founded in 2018 in Germany, RFA positioned itself as one of the most ambitious startups in the European sector of launch service providers. The company is developing RFA ONE, a three-stage small-lift rocket capable of carrying up to 1,300 kg of payload to SSO orbit. The first stage is powered by 9 RP-1/LOX Helix engines. While the second stage features a single Helix VAC engine.
Previously, RFA completed two consecutive hot fire tests of the first stage, but only with some of the installed engines. This was the first test with all nine. In July the second stage performed the final hot fire test ahead of the maiden flight.
In the future, the startup aims to develop a bigger rocket, capable of launching the company’s capsule.
Indeed, RFA is also developing Argo, a reusable space cargo capsule, in collaboration with Space Cargo Unlimited and ATMOS Space Cargo. According to the company, Argo will have a capacity of 4,000 kg to LEO. Thanks to the Inflatable Atmospheric Decelerator (IAD) the capsule will be able to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and be reused.
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