Today, at 6:49 a.m. Beijing time on May 3, Rocket Lab carried out the launch of the electronic small rocket, and about 15 minutes after the launch, successfully realized the recovery of the first stage rocket.
The "There and Back Again" mission was launched
The launch was called "There and Back Again," and the name can be roughly translated as "Fly and Come," and you can see where their target is by looking at the name. The launch is rocket lab's 26th launch, the third this year's launch, one arrow 34 satellites, 34 satellites from 6 private companies. At present, all satellites have been successfully put into orbit, and the total number of satellites launched by Rocket Laboratories has reached 146.
Recovery of level 1 footage during live streaming
Of course, our focus is not here, but how it achieves first-level recycling.
According to the recovery plan announced before the launch:
1 hour before launch, the S-92 helicopter for recovery will arrive at the predetermined area 150 nautical miles from the launch site, waiting for launch;
- 2 minutes and 30 seconds after launch, the first and second stages of the Electron rocket separated, the second stage went to orbit with the payload, and the first stage fell without power. The separation altitude is about 78 km, and after separation, the attitude is adjusted at one stage to re-enter the atmosphere at eight times the speed of sound. And withstands a high temperature of about 2400 degrees during the re-entry process. Relying on air resistance, the first stage rocket slowed down to 2 times the speed of sound at an altitude of 13 kilometers, at which point the guided parachute was opened to continue to slow down and stabilize the structure of the arrow body. The main parachute was opened at 6 km and the speed of the first stage rocket was reduced to 10 meters per second.
After the first stage rocket entered the recovery area, the helicopter directly found the first stage with a parachute, and the previous training played a role, and the helicopter simply hooked the first stage rocket neatly.
In the live broadcast, the helicopter hooks the first-level scene
Originally, the helicopter was going to put the first stage rocket on the recovery ship, but due to the high sea conditions, the helicopter put the first stage rocket into the sea to return according to the plan. The recovery ship is responsible for scooping the rocket out of the sea. The current situation at the first level is good.
A recovery vessel for first-class marine salvage
Rocket Lab, a company focused on small and microsatellite launches, was founded in 2006 and spent a decade developing its own Rutherford engine and electronics small rocket, which first flew in May 2017. Its Rutherford rocket engine, which innovatively uses electric pump power, is the world's first electric pump-pressed liquid oxygen kerosene engine. Powered by a high-performance lithium-polymer battery, the engine provides energy to a brushless DC motor, which feeds liquid oxygen and kerosene into the thrust chamber through motor drive. The electric pump engine structure is simple, there is no complex valve and pipeline, and the reliability is high. However, the battery energy density is low, and the motor cycle efficiency is not as good as the turbopump, but at the thrust level of 200KN, the electric pump is still useful.
Rutherford engine
The Electronics small rocket uses the same first-stage 9-round parallel engine layout as Musk's Falcon 9, and the second stage is a vacuum version of the "Rutherford" engine, which is also very similar to the Falcon 9. It is unique in that the tank uses all-carbon fiber composite materials, the rocket is 18 meters long, 1.2 meters in diameter, and the take-off weight is only 13 tons. The structural weight only accounts for 0.09% of the takeoff mass. This ultra-light arrow body is where Rocket Labs uses parachutes to slow down and use helicopters to recover.
Nine engines of the electronic first stage are connected in parallel
Beginning in 2020, Rocket Labs has tested the first stage recovery several times during launches, and although no final aerial grab was performed, the separation of the first stage rocket, the deceleration of the parachute unfolding, and the recovery ship's pick-up of the rocket from the sea have all been verified. The rockets fished from the sea were also tested, analysing various conditions during the return of the first stage. The helicopter's aerial capture was successful, and it was also a foot in the door after all the preparations were completed.
Level 1 recycling tests for 2021
Compared with the success of recycling, rocket laboratories have also made a lot of efforts in rocket manufacturing over the years, through the application of 3D printing technology, it can quickly produce Rutherford engines, one engine production time is less than 24 hours, while by ordering dedicated carbon fiber composite storage tank production equipment, rapid production of rocket arrow bodies, a new rocket production time of less than 18 days. Not only that, but it has also developed a "photon" upper stage, ready to launch deep space to the moon and Mars.
Upper level
The Rocket Lab currently has 3 launch stations, two at the Launch Site in New Zealand and one at the Launch Site in Wallep, USA. Once the primary recycling matures, it will enter the rapid launch channel, and another technology monopoly enterprise in the launch market of micro-small satellites has arrived.
The Rocket Lab has announced that it will develop a medium-sized rocket called "Neutron". Ready to cut Musk's back road. However, because the CEO had previously said that he would never enter the medium rocket market, at the official announcement of the Neutron rocket, he had to perform a hat to show that he had reneged on his word.
The official announcement of the neutron number was on the scene, and the CEO performed to eat hats