The American space company Rocket Lab was unable to conduct a test Friday in which a helicopter had to take a rocket kick during its descent to Earth. Technical difficulties put an end to the attempt.
The helicopter is equipped with a special hook, to which the falling rocket stage parachute must snap. The helicopter must then land the object.
Rocket Lab also attempted to take over a missile stage in May. At the time, the parachute managed to snap onto the hook, but the helicopter had to drop the rocket stage due to “unexpected problems” in the sea near New Zealand.
The rocket stage fell into the ocean in a controlled manner on Friday. There it is recovered from the sea by Rocket Lab. “We will get to the bottom of these technical problems,” the company said.
The test is important to see if the rocket stage can be reused in this way, because it saves costs. The preparations took three years.
