RFA One Explained: Payload, Redshift, Launch Site and First Flight Status

RFA One is a three-stage orbital rocket developed by Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) in Germany. It is about 30 metres tall, flies nine Helix staged-combustion engines on its first stage and carries its own orbital transfer vehicle, Redshift, as a third stage. RFA lists up to 1,300 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), while ESA describes the current configuration as targeting up to 500 kg to the same orbit. As of early October 2026 the rocket had not yet flown: RFA is preparing its first test flight from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, UK.

This guide summarises what RFA and ESA publish about the vehicle, its launch sites, its development status and how satellite operators can request a launch. For a side-by-side view with other small launchers, see the rocket comparison on Carrier Space or the RFA One vehicle page.

RFA One at a glance

Manufacturer: Rocket Factory Augsburg AG, founded in 2018 and based in Augsburg, Germany.
Height and diameter: 30 m and 2 m according to RFA; ESA gives about 30 m and 2.15 m.
Stages: three, with nine Helix engines on stage 1, one Helix vacuum engine on stage 2 and the Redshift orbital transfer vehicle as stage 3.
Payload (RFA figures): 1,300 kg to 500 km SSO, 850 kg to a 2,000 km polar orbit, 500 kg to a 6,000 km medium Earth orbit, 450 kg to GTO, 300 kg to lunar transfer orbit and 150 kg to GEO.
Payload (ESA, current configuration): up to 500 kg to a 500 km SSO.
Launch site: SaxaVord Spaceport, Shetland Islands, UK.
Status: in preparation for Test Flight-1; no orbital flight yet.

The gap between the two payload figures matters for planning. RFA's website shows the design capability of the vehicle, while ESA's 2026 announcements describe what the rocket targets in its current configuration. Operators should ask RFA which figure applies to the flight they are considering.

How the rocket is built

RFA follows a low-cost approach based on stainless steel structures and industrial components from the automotive, oil and energy sectors.

Stage 1: a common-bulkhead tank made of stainless steel, powered by a cluster of nine Helix engines with sea-level nozzles. Helix is an oxygen-rich staged-combustion engine developed in-house. According to RFA it delivers 100 kN per engine, is regeneratively cooled and has thrust vector control on every engine.
Interstage: automotive-grade carbon composite, produced on an in-house automated tape-laying machine. Stage separation uses a pneumatic system.
Stage 2: the same stainless steel design in a more compact form, powered by the HelixVAC engine with a larger nozzle for operation in vacuum.
Stage 3, Redshift: an orbital transfer vehicle with a composite structure and the Fenix engine, a re-ignitable 1.5 kN engine running on a storable bi-propellant.

RFA says that staged combustion gives Helix about 7% higher efficiency than gas-generator engines, which the company translates into 30% more payload. The company also states that RFA One will allow first stage recovery and engine recycling in the future. These are manufacturer statements that will only be confirmed in flight.

Redshift: why the third stage matters for customers

Most small launchers release their payloads into one orbit. RFA designed Redshift to change orbits after the main stages have done their work. RFA lists three transport services: altitude change, phase change (time over a location) and inclination change, and gives a delta-v capability of more than 2.5 km/s. In practice this means that one flight could place several satellites into different orbits, or move a single satellite to a bespoke orbit.

Redshift is a stage of RFA One, not a separate rideshare product. If you are comparing stand-alone transfer vehicles, see our overview of space tug companies.

Configurations: dedicated and rideshare

Dedicated: the payload is mounted directly on the payload platform.
Rideshare: ports of 8, 15 or 24 inches are available for several customers on one flight.
Large spacecraft: customised configurations and a top slot are available on request.

Technical details for mission planning are in RFA's Payload User Guide, which the company sends on request through a form on its website. Requests with personal e-mail addresses are not processed, according to the form.

Launch sites

SaxaVord, UK. RFA's first flights will lift off from SaxaVord Spaceport on the Shetland Islands. On 16 January 2025 RFA received its spaceflight operator licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Together with SaxaVord's spaceport licence and range control licence, all three licences needed for a test flight from Scotland were in place. RFA describes the operator licence as not limited in time and covering a wide range of orbits and trajectories.

Kourou, French Guiana. In June 2023 RFA signed a binding term sheet with the French space agency CNES to offer launches from the ELM-Diamant complex at the Guiana Space Centre. RFA said this would add low-inclination profiles such as GTO, MEO, GEO and lunar missions. RFA has not published a date for a first launch from Kourou since then.

A comparison of all European sites is in our article on Kourou, Andøya, SaxaVord and Esrange.

Development status and timeline

2022: RFA wins the German microlauncher competition run by the German Space Agency at DLR and receives 11 million euros. The German government becomes anchor customer, buying 150 kg on each of the first two flights.
December 2022: DLR selects seven customers with 136 kg for the first flight to a 500 km SSO.
November 2023: eight customers with 200 kg are selected for the second flight, also to a 500 km SSO.
August 2024: an incident occurs during a hot fire test of a first stage. RFA says the causes have been fully understood and addressed, and the first stage was newly built.
January 2025: UK spaceflight operator licence granted.
February and March 2026: a newly built first stage and the second stage arrive at SaxaVord. RFA said at the time that the first orbital flight was planned for summer 2026, with the nine Helix engines being tested in Sweden.
27 August 2026: RFA signs a European Launcher Challenge contract with ESA worth 186.9 million euros, mainly funded by Germany with a contribution from the UK.
23 September 2026: ESA extends RFA's Boost! contract by 2.7 million euros for ground and test infrastructure at SaxaVord ahead of Test Flight-1 and Test Flight-2.
5 October 2026: Alexander Dahm becomes CEO. RFA says he will lead the company on its path to the maiden flight of RFA One.

The summer 2026 target has passed without a launch. Neither RFA nor ESA has published a new date. Under the European Launcher Challenge, ESA requires participants to achieve an orbital launch before 2028.

Price and how to book

RFA does not publish launch prices. The company describes its service as highly competitive in price, but gives no figures. Operators who want a quote can use the booking form on RFA's website, or compare RFA One with other options and send one request to several providers through the Carrier Space request form. The RFA provider profile lists the company's vehicles on the platform.

Our own advice for early customers: because the vehicle has not flown yet, plan for schedule risk, ask about rebooking terms and keep a backup option, for example a rideshare slot. Our article on launch delays covers this in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

When is the RFA One launch date?

RFA has not published a fixed date. In March 2026 the company planned the first orbital flight for summer 2026. In October 2026 RFA still described the maiden flight as an upcoming milestone, and ESA's September 2026 announcement referred to preparations for Test Flight-1.

How much payload can RFA One carry?

RFA lists up to 1,300 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. ESA states that the rocket in its current configuration targets up to 500 kg to a 500 km SSO.

Where does RFA One launch from?

From SaxaVord Spaceport on the Shetland Islands in the UK. RFA has also signed a binding term sheet with CNES for launches from the Diamant complex in Kourou.

What is Redshift?

Redshift is the third stage of RFA One and works as an orbital transfer vehicle. It can change altitude, phase and inclination to place payloads in their target orbits and has more than 2.5 km/s of delta-v according to RFA.

Is there an RFA One payload user guide?

Yes. RFA provides the Payload User Guide for RFA One and Redshift on request through a form on its website.

Sources

Rocket Factory Augsburg, RFA ONE: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, Redshift: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, "RFA ONE: The Most Comprehensive Guide to Our Launch Vehicle", 7 November 2024: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, "RFA receives launch licence from the UK", 16 January 2025: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, "RFA ships stages to SaxaVord Spaceport", 6 March 2026: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, "Alexander Dahm named new CEO of Rocket Factory Augsburg", 5 October 2026: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, "Fully booked! DLR selects seven customers for RFA's inaugural flight", 6 December 2022: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, "RFA flies eight customers on second flight", 23 November 2023: rfa.space
Rocket Factory Augsburg, "RFA to launch from Kourou", 21 June 2023: rfa.space
ESA, "First contracts kick off European Launcher Challenge", 27 August 2026: esa.int
ESA, "Rocket Factory Augsburg Boost! extension in run-up to first launch", 23 September 2026: esa.int

Cover image: Scotland seen by the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite on 27 February 2013 (cropped). Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, public domain.