Rocket Lab tests key maneuver needed for reusability during 10th flight to space
1Reported today on The Verge
For the full article visit: https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/6/20998539/rocket-lab-electron-reusability-guided-reentry-launch-test
Reported today in The Verge.
Rocket Lab tests key maneuver needed for reusability during 10th flight to space
Small satellite launcher Rocket Lab successfully flew its 10th mission this morning from New Zealand, sending seven small spacecraft into orbit above Earth. While the primary goal of the flight was a success, Rocket Lab also used the mission to test out a key maneuver with its rocket - one that could allow the company to reuse its vehicles in the future.
Rocket Lab's one and only rocket is the Electron, a 55-foot-tall vehicle designed to send relatively small payloads into space. Like most rockets, each Electron only has the bandwidth for one flight. After deploying satellites into orbit, the rocket falls back to Earth and is basically out of commission. But in August, Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck announced that the company was going to try things differently. The team is now working toward recovering part of the Electron after each flight in order to fly the vehicles back to space again. That way, the company can save itself from having to build an entirely new rocket for each mission, potentially making it cheaper for its customers to fly.
"The grand goal here is if we can capture the vehicle in wonderful condition, in theory, we should be able to put it back on the pad, charge the batteries up, and go again," Beck said during the announcement in August.
Rocket Lab won't be recovering its rockets like SpaceX, which has nearly perfected the ability to land its vehicles after launch. Instead, Rocket Lab's plan is slightly more complicated. The Electron is meant to perform a guided reentry into Earth's atmosphere, hopefully coming back in one piece. It'll then deploy a parachute to slow the rocket's descent. In an expertly choreographed air display, a helicopter wi