Rocket Lab launched another Electron rocket, this one called There And Back Again. The name was not only a reference to the Lord of the Rings, which was filmed in New Zealand where the rocket launched from, but also that this mission would be the first attempt at a mid-air recovery of the rocket’s first stage. The whole CosmoQuest team was excited about this launch, so we hosted a launch watch party on Twitch.

Rocket Lab had previously tested the reentry and mid-air catch separately; this was the first attempt to do both during an operational mission. Three previous missions made it through reentry to the water intact, and the boosters were recovered by one of their ships.

An hour before the launch of There and Back Again, the helicopter took off. About 150 seconds after launch, the stages separated and the first stage re-entered the atmosphere. At thirteen kilometers altitude, a drogue chute stabilized the stage for the main chute deployment at seven kilometers altitude.

Unfortunately, the catch was not completely successful. The helicopter was able to catch the first stage, but the pilot saw something he didn’t like with how it acted and released the load before it could be placed on the recovery ship. It splashed down in the ocean and was recovered by the ship, so it wasn’t a complete failure. Better luck next time, Rocket Lab!

There and Back Again was the 26th launch of an Electron rocket, and it successfully delivered 34 satellites into orbit for a variety of customers including Astrix, a New Zealand-based company that makes solar panels for small satellites, and Spaceflight, which organizes rideshares for many customers.

More Information

PDF: There and Back Again press kit (Rocket Lab)

Launch video