Rocket Lab will try helicopter catch again, but it may take months

Rocket Lab this week made an ostentatious attempt to catch a rocket as it fell from space using a hook-wielding helicopter that snagged the rocket mid-air only for the pilots to intentionally drop it moments later because of safety concerns. The display is all part of the company's plan to eventually re-use its rocket boosters, saving time and money. But it may be months before the company will make another attempt.

Despite saying the fix needed to make the rocket capture work is "trivial," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck told reporters at a post-flight briefing that the company will need to go back to the testing phase. The plan is to build a better replica of the rocket booster to use in simulations so that the helicopter pilots won't be caught off guard by the physics involved with catching the real thing, as they were after Monday night's attempt.

Beck also said the company is shifting its focus to an upcoming mission to launch a tiny satellite to the moon. Only after that mission is complete, and additional tests are carried out, will the company attempt the helicopter capture maneuver again.