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Rocket Lab Plans Reusable Booster for Satellite Launches

Reuters

   Small-satellite launch firm Rocket Lab announced on Tuesday a plan to
   recover the core booster of its Electron rocket using a helicopter, a
   bold cost-saving concept that, if successful, would make it the second
   company after Elon Musk's SpaceX to reuse an orbital-class rocket
   booster.

   "Electron is going reusable," Rocket Lab chief executive Peter Beck
   said during a presentation in Utah, showing an animation of the rocket
   sending a payload into a shallow orbit before speeding back through
   Earth's atmosphere. "Launch frequency is the absolute key here."
   Â
   The Auckland, New Zealand-based company is one of a growing cadre of
   launch companies looking to slash the cost of sending shoebox-sized
   satellites to low Earth orbit, building smaller rockets and reinventing
   traditional production lines to meet a growing payload demand.

   Electron, which has flown seven missions so far, can send up to 496
   pounds (225 kg) into space for roughly $7 million.

   Medium-class launchers such as Los Angeles-based Relativity Space can
   send up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) into space for $10 million while
   Cedar Park, Texas-based firm Firefly can do it for $15 million.

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