FOCUS ON – AEROSPACE & DEFENCE
GERMAN AEROSPACE STARTUP RFA OFFERS STIFF COMPETITION FOR SPACEX Munich-based aerospace company OHB has laid out plans to build a rocket that can transport satellites into Earth’s orbit far cheaper than its competitors in order to be able to corner a future market.
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rom 2030 onwards the team hopes to be launching their rockets from platforms in the North Sea or the Azores on a weekly schedule. Done through the company’s new startup, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), the company hopes to offer a cheaper and more efficient service than its US counterparts, such as SpaceX. With take-off costs of around $3 million (€2.48 million), RFA offers its services for
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significantly below the global going rate. The cost per kilogram of payload equated to roughly $2,500, coming in at three-to-four times less than its main rivals. The new startup has recently gone through a round of financing, which was announced at a press conference on Thursday. The aim of the fundraiser is to garner $25 million (€20.6 million) in new capital. “We want to build the best and cheapest rockets and micro launcher,” said
founding investor Hans Steininger in a video conference. In the meantime, the startup has begun building prototypes of its engine and is determined to make swift progress to corner market shares. Small and inexpensive vehicles currently play a large role in the use of space for private services providers. “New space” - the scramble for the commercialisation of spaceflight and tourism -
