Germany in rush to join space race
Print Edition
Car-manufacturing powerhouse Germany is rushing to join the private sector space race as it looks to ride a boom in mini-launchers for small satellites and compete with major US firms such as SpaceX.
Two projects in particular are making Germany a serious player in the race to provide mini-launchers for the rising number of small satellites which observe the Earth and provide connectivity for the Internet of things and smart vehicles.
At the end of July, German company Rocket Factory Augsburg carried out a first successful test of its 鈥淩FA One鈥 rocket, igniting the engine for 8 seconds at its development site in Kiruna, Sweden.
The rocket鈥檚 鈥渟taged combustion鈥 system is used by Elon Musk鈥檚 SpaceX and Jeff Bezos鈥檚 Blue Origin, but is yet to be rolled out in Europe.
According to RFA鈥檚 operational director Joern Spurmann, it allows 鈥30 percent more payload to be put into orbit.鈥
Another German firm, Baden-Wuerttemberg-based HyImpulse, has also made waves with a 20-second engine test on the Shetland Isles in May, using a candle-wax-based fuel to maximise efficiency. 鈥淥ur technology is advanced enough to serve the mini-launcher market,鈥 said HyImpulse co-founder Christian Schmierer.
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