Rocket Lab successfully catches falling rocket booster with a helicopter
- Reference: 1651554182
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/05/03/rocket_lab_booster_catch_success/
- Source link:
The outfit planned to make the catch on April 29, but bad weather delayed the [1]mission .
The skies cleared today and the mission – dubbed “There and back again” – sent 34 satellites aloft after launching from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. The Electron booster used for the launch then returned to Earth beneath a parachute.
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At 6,500 feet (just under 2km) above the ground, a Rocket Lab Sikorsky S-92 helicopter met the falling booster and "used a hook on a long line to capture the parachute line."
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The attempt to make the catch looked like this, as seen from the 'copter as it started dangling its hook once it found the falling booster.
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Rocket Lab 'copter and booster. Click to enlarge
While the catch was made, flying with a rocket under a helicopter turned out to be a tad tricky thanks to what Rocket Lab has described as "different load characteristics than previously experienced in testing." But as the tweets below show, the mission still had a happy ending.
Incredible catch by the recovery team, can't begin to explain how hard that catch was and that the pilots got it. They did release it after hook up 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. — Peter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) [6]May 3, 2022
Homeward bound, safe and sound. [7]pic.twitter.com/j159KRKQb5 — Peter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) [8]May 3, 2022
Launching into space is not cheap, but the cost falls considerably if rockets are re-used rather than allowed to burn up in the atmosphere or sink beneath the waves. Which is why the likes of SpaceX and Blue Origin have built rockets that keep a little fuel in reserve to allow them to make controlled landings. The tech works so well SpaceX has re-used one of its boosters a dozen times.
Rocket Lab's Electron booster is too small to carry the fuel needed for a controlled landing, so has previously recovered boosters from the ocean after parachute descents.
Dunking rockets in salt water is sub-optimal, so Rocket Lab hopes helicopter retrieval could speed the process and save its boosters a bath.
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Today's mission was rated a success for the catch, but a learning experience in terms of what it takes to use a helicopter to return a spent rocket to terra firma.
"Bringing a rocket back from space and catching it with a helicopter is something of a supersonic ballet," Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in the company's [10]mission accomplished statement . "A tremendous number of factors have to align and many systems have to work together flawlessly, so I am incredibly proud of the stellar efforts of our Recovery Team and all of our engineers who made this mission and our first catch a success. From here we'll assess the stage and determine what changes we might want to make to the system and procedures for the next helicopter catch and eventual re-flight." ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/28/rocket_lab_booster/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YnD9Tdx80h3Kqn4e23uFZwAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YnD9Tdx80h3Kqn4e23uFZwAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YnD9Tdx80h3Kqn4e23uFZwAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/05/03/supplied_rocketlab_copter_retrieval.jpg
[6] https://twitter.com/Peter_J_Beck/status/1521279458140823552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7] https://t.co/j159KRKQb5
[8] https://twitter.com/Peter_J_Beck/status/1521333319224291328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YnD9Tdx80h3Kqn4e23uFZwAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220502005965/en/Rocket-Lab-Successfully-Deploys-34-Satellites-and-Catches-Rocket-Booster-Returning-from-Space-with-Helicopter
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Wish there was a video
There's an onboard shot from the helicopter in Rocket Lab's live broadcast but I haven't seen an external shot, though there might be some external shots of their practice and testing for the procedure.
Re: Wish there was a video
The rocket falls effectively vertically at low speed, with a drogue chute above the main chute. The chopper flies faster than the rocket's horizontal speed and hooks between the two chutes from above.
Re: Wish there was a video
There are videos of the practice runs, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7QIgf0f2mg
A beer for everyone, and two for the pilots.
Look its not exactly rocket science is it? Oh wait...
Beers for all involved!
Catch and release, then.
Takes all of the fun out of it if you can't bring it home & show the neighbors.
Re: Catch and release, then.
The one that got away?
Does it work economically
It's great to see it being technically possible. Now it will be interesting is to see if it is worthwhile from an economic perspective. As Peter Beck has previously stated, getting one back to the factory (even if full of seawater) is the way to work this out.
Helicopter at sea operations are notoriously expensive, then add to this the cost of inspection and refurbishment of what they got back. With an expensive to build rocket there will be a margin to make it cost effective, which is how SpaceX manages it. However with the Electron the ticket price is much lower so the recovery costs are vastly more significant.
Re: Does it work economically
Whilst I agree with you on the huge costs for the recovery, you might be underestimating the costs involved in building a rocket motor. They are hugely complex pices of kit, usually made from very expensive materials. Even being able to reuse only half of the rocket motor would probably make it profitable to retrieve the Rocket as they are planning. Even better if they can keep it out of the Sea next time...
Re: Does it work economically
The only way we will know for sure is if Rocket Lab keeps at it. Peter Beck publicly stated Rocket Lab would not re-use its boosters because the cost of recovery was too close to the cost of replacement. He later ate his hat. The problem was that it takes time to make rockets out of composite materials and even longer to purchase the required robots. Rocket Lab could not keep up with demand or buy equipment fast enough to boost their production rate.
Re-using Electron has turned out 'easier' than expected: some extra thermal protection around the hot spots and a parachute. Falcon 9 needed 60% longer booster tanks and much more powerful engines to lift all that extra propellant.
Some bits of Electron have flown again after being fished out of the sea but it looks like the helicopter trick is only a stop-gap. The plan for Neutron is to have the booster return to the launch site with the fairing attached - because boats and helicopters are expensive.
I guess their general success with this is something of a ...boost.
Wish there was a video
I've been wondering exactly how you catch something with a helicopter, given that something falling vertically would hit the blades. I guess its chute has it falling at an angle, and the copter is banking during the catch?