Rocket Lab will attempt mid-air booster recovery in 2022

From the article:

Rocket Lab announced Nov. 23 that, after three launches where Electron boosters splashed down in the ocean and were recovered, it is now ready to take the next step and use a helicopter to catch a booster descending under parachute, a measure that would allow the company to reuse that booster on a later launch.

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The company hasn’t set a date for that next recovery attempt other than some time in the first half of 2022. “There will be more non-recovery missions in front of that,” he said, saying the company projects a busy first half of next year, in part from missions delayed from this year because of a launch failure and pandemic lockdowns in New Zealand.

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When that midair recovery attempt does take place, it will not involve a ship as previously planned. Beck said the company will use a “significantly larger” helicopter equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks for a longer flight time, enabling it to catch the stage and directly return to land rather than set the stage down on a ship. Helicopter operations, he said, are less expensive than operating a ship.

Original press release here: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/updates/rocket-lab-confirms-hel...