Rocket Lab is about to attempt a first-stage recovery

Enlarge / An Electron rocket stands on the launch pad in New Zealand, ready to go. (credit: Rocket Lab)

Rocket Lab said Thursday it will attempt to recover the first stage of its Electron rocket for the first time with its next mission, scheduled for liftoff in mid-November.

This step follows a series of tests during which Rocket Lab has been building toward a full stage recovery. During these earlier tests, engineers have deployed parachutes from the first stage at maximum loads and collected data as two earlier rockets returned through "the wall," which is what the company calls the high heat and pressure of reentry at supersonic velocity.

The company's founder, Peter Beck, said during a conference call with reporters that he was not sure what the company would fish out of the ocean. It could be a nearly intact first stage or, he admitted, "a smoldering stump." The key with this test, he said, was to gather data about the parachute system.

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