Everything but the catch: '90s pop act or a successful mission for Rocket Lab?
- Reference: 1637256605
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/11/18/rocketlab_success/
- Source link:
An awful lot was riding on the mission, which placed a pair of BlackSky satellites into orbit and was dubbed "Love at first Insight." It was the second launch since a BlackSky payload was lost on May's "Running Out Of Toes" mission after a second-stage failure. In total, Rocket Lab has launched 22 Electrons and lost three (including the first, a test mission named "It's a Test").
Rocket Lab has been iterating its recovery plans; despite the failure of "Running Out Of Toes", the first stage managed a soft ocean landing by parachute. It is also almost a year since the first ocean landing as part of the "Return To Sender" mission.
[2]Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it an Electron rocket descending to the ocean?
[3]Everyone's going to Mars: Rocket Lab joins the Red Planet Fan Club
[4]Boeing and Rocket Lab hope for the best as both return to launchpad following failures
[5]Space is hard: Rocket Lab's 20th Electron launch fails
The eventual goal is to snag an Electron booster by helicopter as it descends, something ebullient Rocket Lab boss Beck [6]told us was "not that hard" ahead of the launch.
The success of this morning's efforts means that a recovery attempt is not far off.
[7]
As for the launch itself, which was from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula at 01:38 UTC this morning, the Electron delivered the two Earth-Imaging satellites to a 430km orbit. The first stage then returned to Earth, descending to the ocean by parachute while being tracked by the recovery helicopter.
[8]
Unlike the propulsive antics of SpaceX's Falcon 9, the comparatively diminutive Electron will require aerial capture. The plan is then to refurbish the booster and refly it, further bringing down costs for the small-satellite launcher.
The next Electron launch (another BlackSky mission) is set for December, however, that recovery attempt will have to wait until 2022. As Beck observed: "We are all excited to move onto the next phase of reusability next year: catching Electron in the air with a helicopter." ®
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[1] https://www.rocketlabusa.com/updates/rocket-lab-launches-107th-satellite-to-orbit-successfully-tests-helicopter-recovery-operations/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/12/rocket_lab_recovery/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/23/rocket_lab_mars/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/28/boeing_rocket_lab/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/17/rocketlab_fail/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/12/rocket_lab_recovery/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YZbbICR2wOY5pamZlcvuEQAAAQ4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YZbbICR2wOY5pamZlcvuEQAAAQ4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Raises hand from back of room
That's one reason they were tracking it so closely. They were monitoring sink & drift rates. They can then calculate loads from that, and figure if they're in the ballpark for being feasible.
I remember the spy satellite film canisters captured by line trailing from a plane. It's just a bigger version.
I don't see it scaling though. There's obvious limits to how big of a thing you can catch.
Re: Raises hand from back of room
I think they used something like that in one fo the James Bond Movies. Bond, having (SPOILER ALERT) killed the villain (END SPOILER ALERT) is being 'friendly' with a personage of the female persuasion in a rubber dingy, and lets off a balloon which rises on a cable.
A USAF four engined plane with two 'horns' sticking out of the front comes along and catches the cable, and therefore the dingy, Bond and and the lady.
I cannot imagine how it would be done using a helicopter in flight though. Looking forward to the video.
Re: Raises hand from back of room
Already tested
https://youtu.be/HOnNYWu6onU
Empty stage 1 weight is less that a ton.
Re: Raises hand from back of room
Great catch, but it's all hanging on the helicopter pilot's skills
Re: Raises hand from back of room
So, to be fair, is the helicopter
Re: Raises hand from back of room
Nice tidy bit of flying. Makes very good sense to catch the drogue line. I wonder how the grabby bit works?
Only possible icon -->
Re: Raises hand from back of room
I'm picturing like when you run over a headphone cable with the Dyson's spinning brush head.
I agree on this. For many reasons this doesn't sound like a good idea. Using a fixed wing big plane like the US did is one thing.... whirling blades overhead just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
Re: Raises hand from back of room
Its rather obvious when you see the video above.
Simples
The helicopter they use is actually a giant, genetically modified Eagle. It flips over onto its back, grabs the booster with its claws, then flips back the right way up for the actual return, resuming its helicopter disguise as it does so.
Re: Simples
So why don't they just use the Eagles to take the payload to Mt doom orbit in the first place?
It sounds far-fetched, but the same could be said for landing a rocket. As in any advanced field, the more different approaches are tried, the better. Well wishes from me.
We used to think bigger
How about catching a 130tonne [1]Saturn V booster.
[1] https://thespacereview.com/article/3741/1
Raises hand from back of room
I'm sure their boffins have thought it all out - but .....
Catching a parachute with a helicopter ?
I'm picturing like when you run over a headphone cable with the Dyson's spinning brush head