Rocket Lab launches science research satellite

Rocket Lab launched its Electron rocket carrying a science research satellite from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula on Friday. The mission, called "Catch Me If You Can," was unsuccessful in its attempt to retrieve the first stage booster by using parachutes and a helicopter. Mission control announced a successful ocean splashdown of the booster after pulling the helicopter for safety reasons due to telemetry loss.

The Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy (MATS) satellite is the basis for the SNSA's (Swedish National Space Agency) science mission to investigate atmospheric waves and better understand how the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere interacts with wind and weather patterns closer to the ground. MATS was originally due to fly on a Russian launch service before the mission was manifested on Rocket Lab's Electron.