Four months after the spectacular feat that was catching a descending rocket stage in mid-air, Rocket Lab has re-ignited one of the engines from that booster — an important step on their roadmap to fielding a fully reusable rocket.
The Rutherford engine, one of nine that power the Electron launch vehicles, went up on the mission “There and Back Again” in May, culminating in the live-streamed capture of the booster as it descended under a parachute. They ended up having to drop it in the ocean anyway because it was affecting the helicopter’s maneuvering, but aside from that it worked like a charm.
Of course any engine that has been through so much will need to be inspected, cleaned, and if necessary repaired, especially if they spen …
