The attempt did not go quite as planned. But for the first time, the space company Rocket Lab has managed to capture a rocket step on its way back to Earth with the help of a helicopter.
American Rocket Labs’ experiment began with their Electron rocket delivering 34 satellites into space. When the rocket stage then fell back to earth again, it unfolded a parachute. The idea was that the rocket stage would then be picked up by a helicopter.
The Sikorsky S-92 helicopter also captured the rocket stage, at an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters. But it only lasted a short while. The company decided to drop the rocket stage into the sea. The background was that the helicopter pilot had noticed that the nature of the load was not as in previous experiments, tells The Verge. What this means more precisely is not explained.
Rocket Lab therefore had to pick up the rocket stage from the water, and then transported it back to the company’s factory. The rocket stage is said to be in good condition, but will now be examined in more detail.
Everything else about the launch should have gone according to plan, Rocket Lab states. The company will make a new rocket launch later in May, but it is not clear if they want to try to catch the rocket in the air even then.
Here you can see a summary of Rocket Lab’s rocket launch.
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