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LONG BEACH, California. – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Rocket Lab revealed today that it will attempt to recover the first stage of its Electron rocket during its next mission, the “Return to Sender” launch, scheduled for takeoff in mid-November. The test will see Rocket Lab attempt to return Electron’s first stage to Earth under a parachute system for a controlled water landing prior to collection by a salvage vessel.
The mission will be the first time that Rocket Lab will attempt to recover a stadium after launch and is a milestone in Rocket Lab’s quest to make Electron a reusable rocket to support a higher launch rate for small satellite missions.
The “Return to Sender” mission, which will be Rocket Lab Electron’s 16th launch, will take off from Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. The 14-day launch window is expected to open on November 16 UTC (November 15 PT / ET) with takeoff taking place between 01:44 and 04:34 UTC (17:44 – 20:34 PT / 20:44 – 11:34 PM ET). The mission will see Electron deploy 30 payloads to a number of small satellite customers over a 500km solar synchronous orbit, with the recovery attempt a secondary launch target.
“Phase 1 recovery of a small launch vehicle is uncharted territory. What we are trying to achieve with Electron is an incredibly difficult and complex challenge, but we are willing to pursue to further increase the launch cadence and offer even more frequent launch opportunities to small satellite operators, “says Peter Beck, founder of Rocket Lab. and CEO. “Bringing an entire first stage back intact is the ultimate goal, but the success of this mission really consists in acquiring more data, particularly on the drogue and parachute distribution system. Regardless of the conditions in which the stage, we will learn a lot from this test and use it to iterate forward for the next attempt. ”
Electron’s first stage will undertake the following complex maneuvers on its return journey to Earth:
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Approximately two and a half minutes after take-off, at an altitude of approximately 80 km, Electron’s first and second stages will separate according to standard mission procedure. Electron’s second stage will continue in orbit, where the Kick Stage will separate and deploy the satellites.
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With the engines now shut down on Electron’s first stage, a reaction control system will reorient the stage 180 degrees to position it at an ideal angle for reentry, designed to allow it to survive the incredible heat and pressure known as “the wall” during its descent to Earth.
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After decelerating to
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In the final kilometers of descent, a large main parachute will be deployed to further slow down the stage and allow for a controlled splashdown.
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A Rocket Lab ship will meet with the stage after the crash and retrieve it for transportation to the Rocket Lab production complex for inspection.
Electron’s first stage is equipped with guidance and navigation hardware, a reaction control system, S-band telemetry and on-board flight computer systems to support recovery. These autonomous systems are dedicated exclusively to recovery and are completely removed from the systems that perform the primary mission functions of launch and distribution of the payload.
Work on the Rocket Lab recovery program began in early 2019 and the ‘Return to Sender’ recovery attempt follows a series of successful recovery and hardware system tests over the past 18 months. These include a successful mid-air recovery capture of a test rocket stage by a helicopter; successful drogue and main parachute deployment test in subsequent simulated altitude fall exercises; and successfully guided re-entry of Electron’s first stage through two real missions in December 2019 and January 2020 respectively.
After the outcome of this attempt, the final stage of Rocket Lab’s recovery program will be to capture Electron’s first stage in mid-air by helicopter before the stage is returned to Rocket Lab’s production complexes for refurbishment and relaunch. . If Rocket Lab’s recovery program is successful, Electron will become the first and only reusable small orbital-class launch system in operation.
Notes to the editor:
Full details of payloads aboard this mission can be found here:
www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/updates/rocket-lab-to-launch-most-diverse-mission-yet/
Images and video content:
www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/link-to-rocket-lab-imagery-and-video
Live Launch Webcast:
The live launch webcast will be available approximately 15 minutes before take-off at: www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream
About Rocket Lab:
Rocket Lab is the world’s leading dedicated small satellite launch provider. Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab provides end-to-end mission services, including complete solutions for building and launching satellites, delivering 65 rapid and frequent satellites into orbit on the Electron launch vehicle, enabling space debris mitigation operations , Earth observation, ships and aircraft tracking and radio communications. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron launch vehicle and Photon satellite platform. Electron is a bespoke all carbon composite launch vehicle for small satellites. Photon is a complete spacecraft bus solution that can be adapted for a variety of missions. Together, Electron and Photon offer an all-inclusive spacecraft build and launch service for Rocket Lab customers. Rocket Lab operates launch sites in Māhia, New Zealand and Wallops Island, Virginia. To find out more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
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