Rocket Factory signs contract with ESA for Boost! Program

Rocket Factory signs Boost! program contract with ESA

September 13, 2022

ESA Director of Space Transportation Daniel Neuenschwander (left) and RFA Chief Commercial Officer Jörn Spurmann (right).

Paris, September 13, 2022 – Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) officially signs the contract with ESA under the Boost! – ESA’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support program. Both parties are thus continuing the commercialization of European space transportation and challenging established processes. The contract was implemented in a record eight weeks from RFP receipt to contract signing. The signing follows the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) microlauncher competition, which RFA won in April 2022.

Within just eight weeks of ESA’s request for proposal, RFA was able to submit a comprehensive proposal, provide clarifications, finalize the contract and already hold a kick-off meeting. Today’s signing ceremony marks the official start of the collaboration. “It is very exciting to witness the commercialization of European space transportation and to drive it forward together with ESA,” said Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer at RFA. “We are proud to have the support of the German government and ESA. The speed with which we successfully moved through the process demonstrates the success of the Boost! program at ESA.”

As part of the DLR microlauncher competition, DLR announced RFA as the winner of the 2022 round in April. The prize is worth 11 million euros, which will now be implemented via Boost!. Within this framework, the German government and ESA will be an anchor customer on RFA ONE. DLR will place payload(s) of up to 150 kilograms on each of the first two launches, for which institutions and companies from Europe can apply via the currently running announcement of opportunity. “Europe has the advanced technologies and entrepreneurial spirit to transform the market for small satellite launch services,” ESA Director of Space Transportation Daniel Neuenschwander noted. “Now is the time to move quickly and demonstrate progress.”

About ESA Boost

The “Boost! – ESA’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support” program co-funds and assists the pre-commercial development of new European space transportation services, providing flexible and tailored support to the needs of European operators pursuing privately-led developments for commercially viable new space transportation services. More information at https://www.esa.int/boost

About Rocket Factory

Rocket Factory Augsburg was founded in 2018 with the vision to enable data generating business models in space to better monitor, protect and connect our planet Earth. Against this background, the company’s goal is to offer launch services of up to 1.300kg into low Earth orbits and beyond on a weekly basis at unmatched prices. With this, RFA wants to democratize access to space and reduce the launch costs in the space industry. The RFA ONE launch service combines three key competitive advantages: A customer focused service with precise in-orbit delivery and a high degree of mission flexibility through its orbital stage; at a highly competitive price; made possible by superior staged combustion technology, low-cost structures and usage of industrial components.

Press Contact:

Mr. Jonas Kellner

Telefon +49 821 999576-21

Email: jonas.kellner@rfa.space

Rocket Factory Augsburg AG

Berliner Allee 65

86153 Augsburg

Germany

Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Jean-Jacques Dordain

Board of Directors: Stefan Tweraser, Stefan Brieschenk, Jörn Spurmann

Seat of the company: Augsburg

Registry Court: AG Augsburg, HRB 34251