The Rutherford engine, one of nine powering the Electron launch vehicle, lifted off on the “There and Back Again” mission in May and was eventually captured live during the descent of the booster under a parachute. They ended up having to throw it into the sea because it affected the maneuverability of the helicopter.
In this case, the lucky engine went through all the tests the new engine had to pass, and ended up blowing up for 200 seconds in a row. According to Rocket Lab, this used engine performed to the same standards required for a new engine. You can watch the testing process from start to finish here.
“Being able to re-fly the Electron with minimal refurbishment is the ultimate goal, so the recycled parts on this engine were done on the test bench with minimal rework,” Rocket Lab CEO and founder Peter Beck said in a release. , further validation that we are on the right track. If we can achieve such high performance levels with engine parts recovered from the ocean, then I am optimistic and optimistic about what we can do next time we bring back dry engines under a helicopter incredible.”
Reusable boosters are increasingly seen as the best way to simultaneously achieve high cadence and relatively low-cost launch operations. Building new engines and rockets is hard work, but a rocket designed to be used once can be very different from a rocket designed to be reused, and Rocket Lab has been adapting its approach to accept the latter.
The company says the next mission they will attempt to catch a dropped first-stage booster will take place before the end of the year, but there is no firm date yet.