Science News Roundup: Rocket Lab plans reusable booster for satellite launches; Israel's Amos-17 satellite enroute to target orbit after SpaceX launch

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Rocket Lab plans reusable booster for satellite launches

Small-satellite launch firm Rocket Lab announced on Tuesday a plan to recover the core booster of its Electron rocket using a helicopter, a bold cost-saving concept that, if successful, would make it the second company after Elon Musk's SpaceX to reuse an orbital-class rocket booster. "Electron is going reusable," Rocket Lab chief executive Peter Beck said during a presentation in Utah, showing an animation of the rocket sending a payload into a shallow orbit before speeding back through Earth's atmosphere. "Launch frequency is the absolute key here."

Israel's Amos-17 satellite enroute to target orbit after SpaceX launch

Space Communication said on Wednesday its Amos-17 communications satellite was launched into space and were en-route to its orbital position after separating from its SpaceX rocket. The Israeli satellite operator is counting on Amos-17, which was manufactured by Boeing and will provide communication services to Africa, to help it rebound from some major setbacks, including the loss of a satellite in 2016 when a SpaceX rocket exploded.

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