'First Ever Success in "Snatching a Rocket with a Helicopter" Achieved [Reading Science]'

US Rocket Lab conducts test in New Zealand on the afternoon of the 2nd (local time)
Reusing first stage of rocket to reduce launch costs and increase frequency

Photo by Rocket Lab.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] For the first time in history, an experiment to catch a rocket of a space launch vehicle with a helicopter and recycle it has succeeded.

American aerospace company Rocket Lab announced that at 6:49 PM (Eastern Time, USA) on the 2nd, they launched a two-stage electric motor rocket from their launch site on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, then deployed a parachute and successfully caught the slowly descending first-stage rocket using a helicopter.

Rocket Lab plans to load the rocket booster onto a ship, recover it, then inspect and analyze it for reuse. The company has been developing this technology to reduce costs and increase the number of launches by recycling the first stage, which accounts for a significant portion of the rocket launch expenses.

The technology for recovering and reusing rocket boosters has already been commercialized by SpaceX with their Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX uses a method of controlling engine thrust to gradually descend the first stage and land it on the ground or a drone ship for recovery. This is a complex and costly operation.

Photo by Rocket Lab.

Rocket Lab’s electric motor rocket, Electron, is only 18 meters long, making it difficult to use such technology. It is impossible to load enough fuel into the first-stage rocket booster for landing. Therefore, Rocket Lab developed a technology to equip the first stage with a parachute to descend slowly and then simply catch it using a helicopter.

Muriel Baker, Rocket Lab’s Chief Communications Advisor, said in a webcast that day, "Something truly unbelievable happened," and explained, "This dramatic success is part of efforts to reduce costs and increase launch frequency by reusing the first stage of the Electron rocket."