Last year, we saw some details start to emerge around Rocket Lab's vision to recover its spacecraft for reuse, plans that involved catching part of its Electron booster in mid-air with a helicopter. The private company is set to take an important step toward this objective, announcing that it will make its first attempt to recover the rocket's first stage during a mission scheduled for later this month.

Much like SpaceX has done over the past few years, Rocket Lab hopes to trim some of the costs from its launch operations be reusing elements of the Electron booster, which is worth around US$5 million apiece. Part of this strategy involves using parachutes, a helicopter and a special grappling hook to collect the first stage as it drifts back down to the Earth, a technique it was able to successfully demonstrate using a dummy first stage earlier this year.

As part of its real-world recovery strategy, the helicopter technique is the final phase of the plan. Initially, the company will focus on bringing the first stage back to Earth to land safely in the ocean, where it will be collected by a recovery vessel and hauled back to Rocket Lab's production facility for refurbishment.