The private launch company Rocket Lab once again failed to catch one of the first stages of the Electron launch vehicle by helicopter as it returned to Earth.
“Repatriating a rocket from space is a difficult task, and capturing it while flying in a helicopter is as complicated as it sounds,” said Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab. “The chances of success are much lower than the chances of failure because so many complex factors have to fit perfectly.”
The Rocket Lab Electron can carry 300 kg into low Earth orbit and has had more than 30 successful launches. But the craft is not reusable because its first stage splashes into the ocean – spoiling its engines – or burns up on re-entry. Rocket Lab recovered electronic thrusters and successfully recovered and restored the engine for ground-fire tests.
To make the electron reusable, the company hopes to catch the electrons floating around under a canopy.
This plan requires the use of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, which is capable of carrying 1000 kg of booster.
But catching it is another matter.
As Rocket Lab staff explained during a live video feed (see below) of the mission: “Between the deployment of the main parachute and the time it takes Electron to reach the ocean, the pilots have approximately ten minutes to complete the reservation. The time our pilots need to control the Sikorsky, balance the hook’s swing below as it connects to the helicopter’s line, precisely hold the electronic parachute line, and then secure the missile underneath for the return flight.
Unfortunately, on this occasion, the short telemetry loss from the first stage of an electron during re-entry meant that the capture was not attempted. And, fair enough, since the Sikorsky crew must be so confident they know that the missile won’t knock them out of the sky.
Youtube video
Rocket Lab does not consider the mission a failure, managing to retrieve the booster from the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.
“We are proud that we have successfully retrieved our fifth rocket from the ocean now, and we look forward to another mid-air capture attempt in the future as we work to make the Electron a reusable rocket,” Beck said.
The CEO is more satisfied with the main job of this mission: the launch of a satellite called MATS (Medium Atmospheric Glow/Aerosol and Spectrophotometer) for the Swedish Space Agency.
MATS’ job is to study waves in the atmosphere and their effect on Earth’s climate. To do this, the satellite studies the differences in the light emitted by oxygen molecules at an altitude of 100 kilometers.
The satellite lifted off without incident and now occupies a circular orbit of 585 kilometers, making it the 152nd orbital vehicle successfully launched by the Rocket Lab. ®