[ad_1]
Rocket lab is preparing to take a big step towards rocket reusability.
The California-based company plans to recover and inspect the first stage of its Electron booster during an assignment later this year, Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said earlier this month.
Rocket Lab has booked Electron’s 17th launch for this important milestone, which isn’t too far off. Electron’s most recent launch, dubbed ‘Pics Or It Didn’t Happen’, was the booster’s 13th mission.
Related: Rocket Lab and its electron booster (photos)
“The photos or it didn’t happen,” which took off on July 4, failed after the Electron suffered an electrical connection anomaly in its second stage. Rocket Lab has completed its investigation of the failure and is on the verge of resume Electron launches later this monthcompany officials said on July 31.
Rocket Lab aims to dramatically increase small satellites’ access to space with the 17-meter-tall Electron, which had flown 11 straight before “Pics Or It Didn’t Happen.” Making the first stage of the Electron reusable would significantly help this vision, allowing the company to launch more frequently, Beck said.
The Electron is too small for power-assisted motorized landings, such as those performed regularly by flipping SpaceX Falcon 9 the first steps, to be a feasible option, said Beck; the thruster cannot carry enough fuel to have the required amount remaining for the touchdown process. So, Rocket Lab will guide the first stages of Electron to Earth under parachutes, then snatch material falling from the sky. with a helicopter.
Guided reentry still requires some residual fuel, which in turn requires additional engine power. But Rocket Lab just gave the Electron the boost it needed, thanks to advances in batteries that power the electric pumps in the rocket’s Rutherford motors. This upgrade increases Electron’s payload capacity in low Earth orbit by 500 lbs. (225 kilograms) to 660 pounds. (300 kg), making possible not only rocket recovery but also Electronic missions to Venus and other far-flung destinations, Beck said on Aug. 5 in a company update and question-and-answer session broadcast live on YouTube.
Spot the strange. Recovery booster S1. pic.twitter.com/Dl3fAGZBdeAug 6, 2020
The company has made considerable progress in its overall recovery plan. For example, Rocket Lab successfully guided the first stages of Electron to Earth during missions 10 and 11, in December 2019 and January of this year. The company also demonstrated the helicopter hitching strategy during a drop test last March.
Flight 17 will not involve any picking; the thruster will descend for a guided re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere and deploy its parachutes, but it will be cleared to splash, Beck said during the event of August 5.
“We’re going to fish it out of the ocean, bring it back, put it in the factory and then we’ll really see what we have. That will determine how much work we have ahead of us,” Beck said, referring to the renovation process and refurbishment. “To date, the telemetry looks like we have a pretty healthy leg, but that’s where the rubber meets the road.”
Mike Wall is the author of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for extraterrestrial life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
[ad_2]
Source link