RocketLab Confirms Plan to Catch Booster Later This Month

[OverTheTop]

LINK: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/...tch-booster-with-helicopter-later-this-month/
"Rocket Lab plans the first attempt to catch one of its returning small satellite boosters by helicopter after a launch later this month, nearly three years after the company announced its mid-air recovery and reuse concept.

The next Rocket Lab mission is set to lift off from New Zealand no earlier than April 19 with 34 small satellites from commercial operators Alba Orbital, Astrix Astronautics, Aurora Propulsion Technologies, E-Space, Unseenlabs, and Swarm Technologies, the company said April 5.

The mission will mark a big leap forward for Rocket Lab’s booster reuse program, following three rocket recoveries from the Pacific Ocean. Those splashdowns under parachutes were experiments designed to gather data on the structural loads, heating, and deceleration the Electron booster encounters during re-entry and descent."

 

[Sandy H.]

I know helicopter catching of falling items has been done, I don't think I'd want to be the pilot of the helicopter - seems sketchy. But I bet there are awesome pilots being trained and hopefully having a fully functional dialog with engineering teams to make it work. It would be awesome if they are filming a documentary of the challenges, discussions, training and when they do succeed, they publish it. Fingers crossed.

Sandy.

 

[kuririn]

There have been a few scrubs. They want optimum weather conditions to try the helicopter grab. Next window in 42 hours.

 

[kuririn]

Nominal launch today.
Per the feed:
The helicopter snagged the chute cable but the pilot noticed non-nominal loads so he released the booster and it will be recovered from the sea.
Now deploying satellites.






Good try.

 

[davel]

Narrator on the webcast said they caught it, but the helicopter pilot was concered with the 'feel' of the load and had to release it. The booster splashed down and was recovered by the recovery ship.

 

[kuririn]

"The helicopter pilot noticed 'different load characteristics' than experienced in testing. so at his discretion he offloaded the stage."
So he snagged the booster but dropped it after noticing loads different than the dummy booster tests.
Which is what I said.

 

[spigalau]

Damn sexy parachute.

 

[Peartree]

Better to lose your booster than to lose the booster AND the helicopter (and crew).

 

[Funkworks]

A moving picture of the event:



( I said "moving picture" . That's because I'm bored of saying movie, video and film.)