Rocketlab Catches A Rocket Booster In Mid Air
You gotta watch this @Rocketlab booster recovery proof of concept video. A freakin' paragliding first stage caught in mid air by a helicopter https://t.co/u9aD8RZ3IK
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) April 10, 2020
Great work Rocket Lab!
Reminds me of this: https://thespacereview.com/…
Everything old is new again!
I assume on a real booster the engines would be up to prevent engine bell damage?
Very cool. Good for Rocket Lab. More innovation coming from others too I’m sure!
Cool. I wonder how the mass compares with GAMBIT, etc.
GAMBIT recovered capsules weighed about 90lbs. Dry weight of Rocket Lab’s first stage is just a few lbs short of a ton.
GAMBITs were recovered by fixed-wing aircraft (C119, as I recall) with special equipment installed. The helicopter recovery would offer a better opportunity to match the ‘chute’s velocity (think ‘minimize the yank’) and have the ability to base the whole operation on a ship.
In an actual event would the helicopter have the same level of location specificity from an incoming object?
I think so, baring a very off target reentry. Having an aircraft catch a reentered space capsules isn’t new. The first successful recovery was in 1960, as part of the Corona program. (The early spy satellites used film, which was then returned to Earth.)