Use a helicopter to catch a missile falling in the air

Initially, the process will be similar to other launches into space. Rocket Lab will launch 34 cubesat satellites for multiple customers on a 2-stage Electron rocket. The first stage will separate 2.5 minutes after launch and fall back into the atmosphere, reaching an estimated speed of 8,300 km/h under the influence of gravity. At an altitude of about 13 km, the first floor will open the parachute, lowering the speed to 36 km / h. Rocket Lab’s helicopter will be waiting and trying to hook up to the parachute, causing the rocket to stop falling without tearing the parachute.

“Capturing a rocket when the vehicle is falling back to Earth is not an easy task,” said Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab. “We conducted multiple captures of simulated rocket stages by helicopter, performed extensive parachute tests, and successfully recovered Electron’s first stage at sea during missions 16, 20, and 22.” .

The Sikorsky S-92 helicopter can carry the first stage of the rocket because Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is only nearly one-third as tall and weighs one-quarter as much as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. With a weight of 13 tons at launch (lighter after the propellant is exhausted), Electron’s propulsion stage will be within the capacity of the Sikorsky S-92.

The launch will take place from Rocket Lab’s launch site on the Māhia peninsula, New Zealand. The recovery will take place offshore. The expected launch date is April 22. To date, Rocket Lab has launched more than 1,700 satellites into orbit, including 112 launches by Electron rockets. Among the soon-to-be deployed satellites are three from E-Space, which the company is planning to collect in orbit and burn it up in the atmosphere.

An Khang (According to IFL Science)