Interview with RFA CEO Indulis Kalnins
•February 9, 2026
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Why It Matters
The progress of RFA ONE signals Europe’s growing capability to field independent small‑launch providers, potentially reshaping the commercial launch market. Understanding the operational hurdles and strategic roadmap offers valuable insight for investors, policymakers, and the broader space community as the sector seeks more flexible, low‑cost access to orbit.
Interview with RFA CEO Indulis Kalnins
As promised, this week features my first interview of 2026 for the newsletter’s paid subscribers. The interview is with Rocket Factory Augsburg CEO Prof. Dr. Indulis Kalnins, who took over from Dr. Stefan Tweraser in April 2025. With less than a year in the role, Kalnins is preparing to oversee the company’s second attempt at the first flight of its RFA ONE rocket.
The interview is largely exclusive to paid subscribers, though I’ve included two particularly interesting questions for free subscribers. The next free edition of the newsletter will be published next week.
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You have now been in the role for around nine months. What were your first impressions of the Rocket Factory Augsburg team and what they had already achieved? Have you identified any areas of the business that require change or improvement?
The RFA team is young, international, and motivated. We are on the right track. Nonetheless, continuous changes and improvements are necessary both now and in the future. Currently, the focus is on the development, production, and testing of the Helix engines and the launch vehicle, as well as all tasks related to the launch site and the first test flight. In parallel, we are working on the proposals for various launch service missions. From the second launch onwards, we need to shift our focus to the launch services and the planned technical upgrades of the RFA ONE launch vehicle, as proposed in the European Launcher Challenge (ELC).
RFA is currently working towards the inaugural flight of your RFA ONE rocket. Can you provide an update on the status of the new first stage currently under construction? How far along is it? When do you expect it to be completed? And what is the next major milestone the team is working towards?
The first stage is now being transported from Augsburg to the launch site, and we plan to ship the second stage to SaxaVord within the next few weeks, too. The engine acceptance tests are still ongoing in Kiruna, Sweden. The RFA team is now working on the next important milestones – commissioning the launch pad, completing vehicle integration at the launch site, and hot fire testing of the first stage.
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