Update May 2nd, 7:50PM ET: <\/strong><\/em>Shortly after launch, Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron fell back to Earth and deployed its parachutes as planned. It then came into view of the company\u2019s helicopter, which then successfully caught the rocket for a few brief moments. However, the helicopter pilot noticed \u201cdifferent load characteristics\u201d that Rocket Lab had not experienced during previous testing. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAt his discretion, the pilot offloaded the stage for a successful splashdown, where it has been recovered by our vessel for transport back to our factory,\u201d Murielle Baker, a communications representative for Rocket Lab, said during the launch livestream. \u201cThe stage is in great condition though, and we look forward to assessing it in detail when it\u2019s back here in the factory.\u201d The rest of the launch continued as planned, and Rocket Lab deployed all 34 satellites on board the flight.<\/em><\/p>\n

Original Story:<\/strong> After nearly three years of preparation, small satellite launch company Rocket Lab will attempt to catch one of its rockets in mid-air today, after launching the vehicle to space from New Zealand. As the rocket falls back to Earth, Rocket Lab will use a helicopter to try to snag the booster just before it hits the ocean. That way, the rocket can potentially be launched again.<\/p>\n

This will be the first time that Rocket Lab attempts to catch one of its Electron rockets with a helicopter, part of the company\u2019s plan to recover and reuse its vehicles after launch. Up until now, Electron \u2014 designed to launch batches of small satellites into low Earth orbit \u2014 has mostly been an expendable rocket. Most of these rockets fall back to Earth after each flight and are ultimately destroyed.<\/p>\n

But by catching and reusing its rockets after flight, Rocket Lab hopes to cut down on the manufacturing cost associated with building an entirely new rocket for each of its missions. The goal is similar to that of SpaceX, which has become famous for landing and reusing its rockets post-flight. Rocket Lab also claims that recovering and reusing its rockets could also help speed up its flight cadence. \u201cBy bringing one back, it just saves a tremendous amount of time where you don\u2019t have to build a whole new rocket from scratch,\u201d Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, tells The Verge<\/em>. \u201cSo we\u2019ll obviously see some good cost savings, but I think the most important thing for us right now is just getting the vehicles back into the production line.\u201d<\/p>\n