Sikorsky S-92 ZK-HEV

Landing back on runway 02 at Christchurch this afternoon was the Sikorsky S-92 ZK-HEV after its brief successful aerial recovery.

  Below an extract from the Rocket Lab press release.

Shortly after launch, Rocket Lab’s Electron fell back to Earth and deployed its parachutes as planned. It then came into view of the company’s helicopter, which then successfully caught the rocket for a few brief moments. 

However, the helicopter pilot noticed “different load characteristics” that Rocket Lab had not experienced during previous testing.

“At his discretion, the pilot offloaded the stage for a successful splashdown, where it has been recovered by our vessel for transport back to our factory,” 

Murielle Baker, a communications representative for Rocket Lab, said during the launch livestream. 

The stage is in great condition though, and we look forward to assessing it in detail when it’s back here in the factory.” The rest of the launch continued as planned, and Rocket Lab deployed all 34 satellites on board the flight.