Rocket Lab finally managed to capture the first stage of a space rocket in the air using a helicopter. As part of the mission Roundtrip, an aerospace company put into practice their audacious method of restoring one of the Electron instances, their reusable rocket, and did it successfully. Although not everything went according to plan.
According to the company, the launch was successful and managed to catch a missile with a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter. However, the pilots failed to deliver the cargo to the mainland, as originally intended, but had to drop it into the ocean for subsequent rescue by the ship.
“Incredible catch by the rescue team. I can’t explain how hard it was and the pilots did it. They had to let him go after they hooked him up because they weren’t happy with how he took off, but no big deal. It sank safely and is now being loaded by the ship,” Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, tweeted.
In an official mission press release, the company explained that the helicopter pilot decided to drop the missile into the water because he was detecting “different charging characteristics” tested during test flights.
In another tweet, Beck shared a video of the missile approaching directly from the plane. Although the clip is short, you can see how slowly the first stage of the Electron descended thanks to the parachute system.
The hardest part went well
For Rocket Lab’s attempt to succeed, many factors had to come together. The launch was originally scheduled for last week, but was postponed several times due to adverse weather conditions.
Once the meteorological hurdle was cleared, the company was able to carry out its plan. Launch went smoothly, and just under three minutes later, the first stage of the Electron separated from the rest of the reusable rocket and began to return.
The first parachute activated at about 13 kilometers to drastically reduce its speed, and the second did the same at 6 kilometers. A) Yes, the rocket made the last stage of descent at a speed of only 36 kilometers per hour.until he was intercepted by a helicopter.
Before that everything is perfect. Then, as mentioned above, the pilots of the rescue team had to drop the rocket into the water. However, this was not a major inconvenience to Rocket Lab, as her previous missions always ended booster In the ocean.
The rest of the mission went well. With RoundtripThe company launched 34 satellites of different companies into low Earth orbit.
Rocket Lab takes an important step towards lowering the cost of space launches
Rocket Lab’s plan to hijack a space rocket in the air with a helicopter sounded implausible, to say the least. However, the American company from the very beginning assured that this a real way to reduce costs in the future. And what he has achieved in recent hours confirms this.
This is not to say that there is no room for improvement, because there is clearly some room for improvement. But this first successful recovery gives the company the data and tools it needs to perfect the process. “Taking a rocket out of space and catching it with a helicopter is a kind of supersonic ballet,” Beck said.
Rocket Lab’s next step will be analyze the information left after the capture of the first stage of the Elektron rocket and plan for the future. “From here we will evaluate the scenario and determine what changes we may want to make to the system and procedures for the next helicopter grab and possible re-flight,” the CEO added.
The aerospace firm is planning a new launch this May. However, the date and characteristics of the same have not yet been disclosed.
Source: Hiper Textual