"There And Back Again"

A helicopter intercepted the returning first stage mid-air approximately 15 minutes after liftoff, successfully catching its parachute lines - the first time Rocket Lab had caught a returning Electron booster in flight. The crew released the stage shortly after, citing unexpected load characteristics; the booster splashed down safely and was recovered from the ocean by ship.

Copia remained attached to the kick stage as intended for a demonstration of inflatable solar arrays in orbit.