RFA Protein study concept rocket

Image of a Rocket Factory Augsburg concept rocket made for the Protein study.

In 2023 ESA commissioned a study to explore how Europe could develop a launcher capable of delivering 100 times more payloads to space than we do today.

European companies were invited to propose designs for a rocket able to provide enough power and volume to launch huge payloads while keeping costs low and ensuring the environmental impact is kept to a minimum.

Following an open call, two companies were chosen to further develop their ideas: ArianeGroup and Rocket Factory Augsburg.

As potential use cases, ESA provided two space-based scenarios: a solar electricity generator and a data centre. These two advanced concepts, that have also been studied under ESA contracts by European space industry, are far-future ideas that would require lifting large volumes of hardware to Earth orbit.

ESA’s Protein study challenged companies to evaluate the feasibility of a rocket and the necessary ground infrastructure to support such ambitious launches and show how it could be achieved technologically, while pinpointing areas where resources or technology might need more development.

The study concluded that developing such a rocket within the next decade would be possible in principle and under the right conditions but would be challenging and require the immediate start of further technology developments and tests as well as considering all aspects such as the staged-combustion, infrastructures, funding and legal frameworks.

The executive summary of the Protein study from Rocket Factory Augsburg is available for download.