DLR Plans to Buy 80 Red Kite Rocket Motors from Bayern-Chemie
Source European Spaceflight
At a glance
Germany's aerospace center DLR is preparing to buy 80 Red Kite solid-fuel rocket motors from defence firm Bayern-Chemie. The motors will power future sounding rocket missions for science. The contract value and delivery schedule have not been disclosed.
Key points
DLR plans to buy 80 motors for its MORABA team's sounding rocket missions.
After a 30-day EU-wide market check, DLR said Bayern-Chemie was the only qualified supplier.
The contract is not yet signed, and under German rules it could be signed as early as November 13.
The first order was for 30 motors, and this purchase more than doubles that number.
Why it matters
It shows Europe moving to rely less on surplus US military rocket motors.
Original article
DLR to Purchase 80 Red Kite Sounding Rocket Motors
European Spaceflight · Nov 11, 2026, 12:44 AM GMT+9 · europeanspaceflight.com
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