Helicopter 'captures' the rocket returning to Earth

After launching the satellite into orbit, the first stage of the Electron rocket was captured by Rocket Lab - the US space company - using a helicopter when it was falling back to Earth.

After taking off to bring 34 satellites into orbit at 10:50 am (local time) on May 3 in New Zealand, the first stage of the Electron rocket fell back into the Earth's atmosphere. A series of parachutes were then deployed to decelerate the object, according to the Guardian.

The helicopter hovered over the missile trying to catch it.

Up in the air over the South Pacific, just off the coast of New Zealand, a helicopter flew over and grabbed the parachute with a cable.

The helicopter pilots were then forced to release the rocket from the cable and drop it into the Pacific Ocean after noticing an anomaly, a Rocket Lab spokesman said.

'Bringing a rocket back from space and capturing it by helicopter is a bit like a hypersonic ballet. A lot of elements have to come together and a lot of systems have to work perfectly together," said Peter Beck, founder of Rocket Lab. He expressed pride in the team that made this mission a success. .

This rocket stage fell into the sea after being grabbed, so the damage after impact with water was minimized. This missile has been recovered. Its condition will be evaluated to decide whether it should be reused.

The test is part of Rocket Lab's effort to figure out how to reuse the rocket's first stage, thereby reducing launch costs.