New Zealand rocket caught but then dropped by helicopter

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Using a helicopter to catch a falling rocket is such a complex task that Peter Beck likens it to a “supersonic ballet.” Rocket Lab, the company that Beck founded, partially pulled off the feat Tuesday as it pushes to make its small Electron rockets reusable. The company launches rockets from New Zealand to deliver satellites to space. A helicopter crew managed to briefly snare the spent rocket booster as it fell to Earth, but was quickly forced to let it go again for safety reasons. The booster fell into the ocean where it was collected by a waiting boat.