A big rocket recovery milestone could happen early next year.
The first stage of the Electron rocket will fall out of the sky with a helicopter on its next recovery mission, according to company representatives. The time frame is not yet set, but it is likely to happen soon.
Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, told reporters on Thursday that they hope to have that flight within the first half of next year. "As soon as practically possible, really."
There are photos of the rocket lab and its booster.
The first stage of the Electron is being worked on by Rocket Lab, which would increase launch rates and reduce costs for the company and its customers. The ultimate recovery strategy is to bring the boosters down slowly under a parachute and catch them in the air with a helicopter, which will bring them back to land.
The company has made progress towards this goal. It has recovered the Electron first stages three times to date. The boosters were hauled aboard a boat for the trip to terra firma after they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
A helicopter was used in the most recent recovery, which was called "Love At First Insight." The helicopter was stationed in the recovery zone to test booster tracking and communications among the helicopter team, mission control and the recovery ship.
Beck announced on Thursday that recovery attempt number four will include a helicopter catch attempt. There is a good chance that it will succeed.
Beck said that they have done enough testing at low altitudes to know that they can catch it.
It's not clear when the catch attempt will take place. Beck said that the catch helicopter needs some modifications. A different type of helicopter was used. The company needs to figure out which mission to slot the recovery attempt into.
It won't happen on the next flight of Rocket Lab. "Love At First Insight" and "A Data With Destiny" are the two Earth-observation satellites that will be lofted by that mission.
Beck said that the company will only reflown a recovered first stage with a completely dry booster. It is possible that the first helicopter-caught booster will fly multiple missions.
Beck said that they should be able to restack that stage and push it back out on the pad. We're approaching this in a methodical way. We have a good track record and won't be taking any risks with customers' flights.
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