German launch provider Rocket Factory Augsburg has announced that an RFA ONE first stage, which was to be used for the rocket’s inaugural flight, was destroyed during a hot fire test
In an official statement published late on 19 August, the company revealed that it had attempted a hot fire test of the RFA ONE first stage that evening on its launch pad at SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland. The statement simply stated that “an anomaly” had led to the loss of the stage.
Additional details regarding the anomaly that led to the loss of the stage were revealed in a short clip shared by the BBC. In the footage, it appears that a fuel leak occurs, eventually causing the entire stage to go up in flames. According to the RFA statement, despite the complete loss of the stage, the launch pad, which was still under construction, was “saved.”
RFA will now work with officials from SaxaVord Spaceport and the relevant UK authorities to analyze what happened, with the goal of returning to regular operations as soon as possible.
In its statement, RFA acknowledged that its iterative approach to vehicle development, with an emphasis on real testing, does come with “higher risks.” The loss of a stage that was to be used for a launch that was potentially weeks away will, however, be a hard pill to swallow.
RFA ONE development costs
According to the company’s most recent financial filings, the development of the RFA ONE rocket and the launch of its inaugural flight had an expected budget of around €90 million. While the filings cover a period up until the end of 2022, it does include a projection that 79% of the €90 million budget would have been utilized by the end of 2023.
With the company now having to build a new first stage equipped with nine of its Helix rocket engines, the expected budget of €90 million will balloon slightly at the very least. The company will also need to redouble its funding efforts to account for the increased development budget.