Rocket Lab is gearing up for a second go at its harmful stunt: catching a rocket mid-air utilizing a big helicopter. Here’s how one can catch the motion.

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The firm will try to catch its Electron rocket after its upcoming launch throughout a window that opens at 1:15 p.m. ET on Friday, November 4. The rocket will take off from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, and a helicopter will likely be able to snag it because it falls again in the direction of Earth.

The daring mid-air catch will likely be broadcast, and you may tune in to the motion reside. Rocket Lab will start a reside stream of the “Catch Me If You Can” mission about 20 minutes earlier than the scheduled launch by way of its website. We will add a reside stream right here ought to one grow to be accessible.

This is the corporate’s second try to drag off the mid-air rocket catch, and it’s aiming to get it proper this time. On May 2, a custom-made Sikorsky S-92 succeeded in catching the Electron rocket because it fell again to Earth following its liftoff however ended up dropping it within the Pacific Ocean. The pilots onboard the helicopter noticed “different load characteristics” than these skilled throughout earlier check flights and determined to drop the rocket simply to be protected.

Rocket Lab must recuperate its rocket earlier than it touches the water to research its potential for reusability throughout future launches. During Friday’s launch, the corporate’s Electron rocket will likely be carrying a single satellite tv for pc referred to as MATS, or Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy. Funded by the Swedish National Space Agency, the satellite tv for pc will examine gravity waves in Earth’s higher ambiance.

The rocket’s second stage will deploy the payload to orbit, whereas its booster, or first stage engine, will separate from the second stage and fall again to Earth with the assistance of a parachute. A helicopter will likely be able to catch the rocket by snagging the parachute line by way of a big hook.

Rocket Lab is hoping to scale back prices of upcoming launches by reusing its Electron rocket’s first stage the identical means SpaceX reuses its Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX’s rocket, nonetheless, lands vertically on touchdown pads or offshore platforms relatively than being hooked onto a hovering helicopter.

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