Image source: topwar.ru
The burning of the first stage of the rocket of the German startup RFA ended in failure. During the tests, in which all nine Helix power units were involved, they failed, as a result of which the company's plans were violated, which assumed the implementation of the first orbital launch of the RFA One rocket in the coming autumn. In this case, RFA would become the first European startup to launch a rocket into space.
Earlier, RFA successfully burned the second stage and upper stage, as well as four of the nine engines of the first stage. Given that the stage that exploded during the burning was not a test product, but was intended for use in the first orbital launch, after the failure, the flight is postponed indefinitely.
Image source: topwar.ru
Image source: topwar.ru
The German startup RFA was founded in 2018. Like many other similar projects, he relied on the creation of a cheap launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit.
The RFA One rocket has a two-stage design with the possibility of adding an additional third stage and an additional upper stage. The length of the rocket in a three—stage configuration is 30 meters, the diameter is 2 meters. Kerosene is used as fuel in the RFA One rocket, and liquid oxygen is used as an oxidizer.
It is assumed that in its maximum configuration, RFA One will be able to put 1,600 kilograms of payload into low-Earth orbit, 1,300 kg into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, 450 kg into a geotransfer orbit and up to 150 kg on a flight path to the Moon. The startup's management stated that the cost of launching the rocket would be about three million euros.
