The second company in the world after SpaceX, the American Rocket Lab, successfully preserved the first stage of a rocket after launch for the first time. The corresponding broadcast was conducted on YouTube.
“The rescue team is securing the first stage of Electron and preparing to ship it to our production facility,” the company said on Twitter.
Electron with 30 small satellites was launched from the launch site in New Zealand. The first stage was flooded with a parachute.
In April, Rocket Lab successfully captured a mock-up of the first stage of its Electron, dropped by another helicopter, for the first time in a helicopter.
In January 2018, Rocket Lab successfully launched a payload using the world's only operational ultra-light rocket, Electron.
The first launch of Electron, which took place in May 2017, was unsuccessful due to incorrect data provided by the ground measurement system.
The Electron rocket was created using composite materials and 3D printing technology, which makes it possible to quickly produce and launch this medium. Rocket Lab plans to conduct up to 50 launches per year. The ultra-light two-stage Electron rocket is designed to launch a payload weighing up to 250 kilograms into low-earth orbit. The cost of launching a rocket does not exceed $ 6.6 million.
