The first test flight will take place in September in Scotland. The Portuguese companies want to launch the RFA ONE rocket into a polar orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometres.
Rocket Factory Augsburg Portugal (RFA Portugal) and CEiiA have completed the main structures of the RFA ONE orbital launcher and sent them to the launch site in Scotland.
These include the Fairing (the structure that protects the satellites during flight), the ‘Redshift OTV’ third stage and the stage separation rings. All this hardware is now being integrated and prepared on site at the SaxaVord spaceport for the first test flight in September 2024.
Over the last few years, RFA Portugal - a subsidiary of the German Rocket Factory Augsburg AG - and CEiiA have designed, developed and produced structures for the RFA ONE orbital launcher. With major support from AICEP, low-cost, high-performance carbon fibre structures were built, with an emphasis on working in line with automotive industry processes and materials.
RFA Portugal and CEiiA are now celebrating this important milestone: the conclusion of the extensive test campaign and the despatch of the launcher components produced here to the launch site in Scotland, from where the final test flight will take place. The components, namely the Fairing, the ‘Redshift OTV’ third stage structures and the stage separation flanges, are being transported by road and ferry to the Shetland Islands. They will be integrated with the rest of RFA ONE and mounted vertically on the launch pad shortly. The first test flight of RFA ONE is scheduled for September 2024.
Carlos Valadão, Managing Director of RFA PT, says: ‘With the conclusion of our test campaign and the first test flight approaching, we are entering the second phase of our company's history. We now want to move on to regular production of the tested equipment and further develop Portuguese space technologies and capabilities. With these, Portugal can actively participate in the new space industry and play a role in European and global space exploration.’
RFA PT and CEiiA are thus representative of a burgeoning industry in Portugal and Europe that aims to take space travel to a new level through the private sector approach. With a strong focus on cost-effectiveness, speed and innovation, RFA Portugal and CEiiA will be writing Portuguese space history this year with the launch of RFA ONE into a polar orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometres.
Rui Magalhães, Director of CEiiA's Space Unit (Upstream) adds: ‘The development of such complex structures for the RFA ONE launcher is a remarkable achievement. We are thrilled to be part of this moment, after years of joint development. This is the largest space structures programme ever developed in Portugal. It paves the way for future opportunities in our country's global launch vehicle market.’
In the coming years, the space sector is expected to continue to evolve rapidly, driven by technological advances such as the reuse of launchers, the miniaturisation of satellites and the development of new materials. The commercialisation of space, including space tourism and resource exploitation, is expected to grow exponentially. Furthermore, international collaboration and public-private partnerships will be crucial to meeting the challenges and promoting sustainable and affordable space exploration.
RFA Portugal and RFA AG intend to contribute to this goal by offering flexible and affordable access to space, thus enabling you to obtain space data with which you can better understand, connect and protect the Earth.
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