(Bloomberg) — Rocket Lab USA Inc. will attempt to catch a falling booster with a helicopter during the first half of 2022 as the company works to transition its Electron rocket into a reusable launch vehicle.
Rocket Lab said it had demonstrated “shadow operations” with a helicopter during the Nov. 18 launch of satellites for BlackSky Technology Inc. from New Zealand, tracking the rocket from 200 nautical miles offshore. Using a snag line, the company wants to capture the rocket in midair as it descends with a parachute — preventing its exposure to sea water — and fly it back to land.
Rocket Lab, which is based in Long Beach, California, has a packed launch schedule in 2022 to clear a “heavy backlog” given delays caused by the pandemic and lockdowns in New Zealand, company founder and Chief Executive Officer Peter Beck said Tuesday during a briefing with reporters. Rocket Lab also expects to begin launches next year from a second site at Wallops Island, Virginia.
SpaceX pioneered the use of reflown rockets with its larger Falcon 9 system, which has a reusable first stage it lands on a drone ship at sea or on land, and an expendable second stage. The company’s larger Starship is designed to be entirely reusable.
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