Rocket Lab achieved a world’s first on Monday when its helicopter caught a rocket booster as it fell from the sky. However, moments after the catch, the booster was released and splashed down in the sea.
A livestream of the mission showed the first-stage booster as it returned to Earth shortly after launch, its descent slowed by a parachute. The video also captured the moment the grappling hook on Rocket Lab’s customized Sikorsky S-92 helicopter successfully snagged the parachute’s drogue line. “Incredible catch by the recovery team, can’t begin to explain how hard that catch was and that the pilots got it,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck tweeted a short time after the mission ended. “They did release it after hookup as they were not happy with the way it was flying, but no big deal, the rocket splashed down safely and the ship is loading it now.”
Rocket Lab has spent several years planning for Monday’s catch attempt, using a dummy rocket booster to rehearse the process. The partial success will give the company hope that it can now refine the process to make it a regular part of its Electron launch activities.
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