The US-New Zealand Rocket Lab company has taken a big step forward in its quest to re-use its launch vehicles by catching one as it fell back to Earth.
A helicopter grabbed the booster in mid-air as it parachuted back towards the Pacific Ocean after a mission to orbit 34 satellites.
The pilots weren't entirely happy with how the rocket stage felt slung beneath them and released it for a splashdown.
Nonetheless, company boss Peter Beck lauded his team's efforts.
"Bringing a rocket back from space and catching it with a helicopter is something of a supersonic ballet," the CEO said.
"A tremendous number of factors have to align and many systems have to work together flawlessly, so I am incredibly proud of the stellar efforts of our recovery team and all of our engineers who made this mission and our first catch a success."
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
.jpg)
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB
