![]() Compared with the millions of dollars it takes to manufacture a new rocket, renting the helicopter to attempt recovery only costs about $4,000 or $5,000 per hour, Beck noted.Ī lot remains unclear about how Rocket Lab will ultimately reuse its rockets. He had said after the May attempt that it would still be well worth the time and money to figure it out.Īnd he noted earlier this year that the first-stage rocket booster makes up about 80% of the cost of a brand-new rocket, so figuring out how to safely capture and reuse them after launch would save the company a bundle of cash. “Our first helicopter catch only a few months ago proved we can do what we set out to do with Electron, and we’re eager to get the helicopter back out there and advance our rocket reusability even further by bringing back a dry stage for the first time,” Beck said in a statement ahead of Friday’s launch. After the first attempt, in May, the hook-wielding helicopter did successfully snag the rocket midair only for the pilots to intentionally drop it moments later because of safety concerns. This event marked the company’s second attempt to use its newly devised helicopter-catch method. Rocket Lab catches, then drops booster in helicopter capture attempt Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck has noted that it’s preferable to catch the rocket midair to keep it dry. In fact, we’ve performed several of them across our missions to date, and most recently we were able to re-fire a Rutherford engine that had been returned from the ocean,” Baker added. “If we did that today that would not be a failure for our recovery program. “We will bring you updates on that ocean operation in the hours to come. ![]() “We do have the backup option of an ocean splashdown,” Baker said. In a tweet, the company reported that there was a data loss issue during the rocket’s reentry. The pilot of the helicopter had just about 10 minutes from the time the booster’s parachute deployed to attempt to swoop in for the capture, said Murielle Baker, Rocket Lab’s communications manager, on the launch live stream.īut the rocket never came into view, and Baker confirmed on the live stream that the helicopter pilots said the booster wouldn’t be returning to the factory dry. Rocket Lab positioned a modified Sikorsky S-92 helicopter to intercept it mid-descent, aiming to snag the booster by its strings. Then, after the rocket’s first-stage booster - the tallest, bottommost portion of the rocket that gives the initial thrust at liftoff - finished firing and detached from the rocket’s second stage, it began plummeting back toward Earth and deployed a parachute to slow its descent. The spacecraft carried a science research satellite to orbit for the Swedish National Space Agency. The company’s $7.5 million Electron rocket took off from its launch site in southern New Zealand at 1:27 p.m. The primary mission goal hit its mark without a hitch. The wild spectacle is all part of the company’s plans to save money by recovering and reusing rocket parts after they vault satellites to space. The company deployed a helicopter with a hook attachment, but it wasn’t able to catch the booster. By contrast, the still-in-development Starship is the world's most powerful rocket and is designed to eventually take astronauts to the moon and Mars.Rocket Lab, a start-up building small orbital rockets, kicked off another successful mission on Friday - but it failed in its efforts to recapture its rocket booster as it tumbled down toward Earth. SpaceX's Falcon rocket has become a workhorse in the industry and is used by governments and companies. ![]() SpaceX and Rocket Lab produce rockets that send payloads, such as satellites, into orbit. ![]() "When presented this reality, most satellite companies expressed their reluctance to being over reliant on certain launch companies, namely SpaceX." "Fast forward to 2023, and there are truly only two launch companies that have proven consistent and reliable operations, only one of which is publicly traded Rocket Lab," analysts wrote. Just a few years ago, several launch companies were coming to market, raising expectations they would lower costs and make space more accessible, according to a Bank of America note. Although the SpaceX Starship exploded Thursday during its first attempt to reach orbit, Elon Musk's space company remains a top provider of launch services in what once looked to be a more crowded field.
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