This evening @RocketLab is hosting a live Q&A session with founder/CEO @Peter_J_Beck as a part of the virtual SmallSat conference.

Tune in here:

Beck now speaking about the re-entry & recovery process of the #Electron booster. Says it's an effort personally headed up by him because it's really the only amount of engineering he gets to do anymore.

Beck mentions that all of the parachutes used for the #Electron re-entry & recovery efforts were design and manufactured in-house at Rocket Lab.

Debuts a video of a drop & parachute deployment test that recently occured.

Head of Rocket Lab comms Morgan Bailey says that they lost Beck from the production facility I. Auckland, NZ to the LC-1 launch site on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula and Beck responds "I know. It was great. "

We might need more field trips for Beck!

Beck mentions that he's working really hard to put together a private mission to Venus for 2023.

Morgan Bailey says that Rocket Lab may need new t-shirts with "Venus, it would be rude not to."

I'd buy it haha.

Morgan Bailey mentions that Rocket Lab is much more than just rockets now that they've transitioned into space systems with the satellite bus, Photon, which will support a mission to the Moon in early 2021 for NASA.

Beck says that the amount of times the Electron booster can be reused is still TBD. Says that even getting one back in tact and reflown would be great.

A question asked about whether or not Rocket Lab has acquired a boat yet for recovery efforts. Beck responded no, but Morgan Bailey notes how excited he seemed to be at the prospect of getting a boat.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck mentions an internal joke that after flight 13 (Pics Or It Didn't Happen) which failed, that he's become a bit superstitious & the number 13 is banned and all engineers have to use the number 12.9999999~ on into infinity.

With LC-1A, LC-2, and LC-1B Rocket Lab will have 130 Electron launch "slots" per year.