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| Science & Technology |
| Rocket Lab is ready to catch a rocket booster with a helicopter. |
| 2022-04-29 |
| [FoxWeather] With every rocket launch, millions of dollars in hardware are used just once. Rocket Lab is looking to join companies like SpaceX, re-flying its rocket boosters multiple times to drive down launch costs, but the two space companies are going about it differently. On Friday, Rocket Lab plans to fully test its method of retrieving a rocket booster after launch by catching it using a helicopter and parachute system. It will be the first end-to-end test of this recovery technique for the California-based company that launches in New Zealand. Here's the set-up: The Electron rocket will launch from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula, carrying 34 ride-sharing satellites to orbit. After separation, the booster or bottom half of the rocket will begin returning to Earth, performing a series of complex maneuvers to allow it to survey the extreme heat as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. A parachute will then deploy from the booster, slowing Electron down enough to allow Rocket Lab's Sikorsky helicopter to catch the parachute. What will it look like: Besides the usual awe of a launch, Rocket Lab also plans to have a camera on the booster and provide views from the rocket as it returns. The company said this feed might cut out, but that will be a wild view if the video stays up. When is it happening: Rocket Lab is targeting 6:35 p.m. ET on Friday (10:35 a.m. NZST, April 30) to launch the mission called "There and Back Again." A live stream of the launch will begin about 20 minutes prior on YouTube. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #3 Is Red Bull sponsering this stunt too? |
| Posted by: jpal 2022-04-29 16:23 |
| #2 "See, we got this here bundle of fly paper..." |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2022-04-29 15:09 |
| #1 "Here, hold mah beer" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2022-04-29 14:44 |