3 Dec 2009

Rocket man still hopeful payload will be found

6:30 pm on 3 December 2009

The chief scientist behind Monday's rocket launch from Great Mercury Island says he doesn't believe the payload section of his Atea-1 craft has sunk in the Pacific Ocean.

Peter Beck of Rocket Lab says the uppermost portion of the craft, which detached as planned from the bulky booster section, is probably floating 50km off the Coromandel peninsula.

Mr Beck says Atea-1 was well-built and equipped with an Iridium satellite phone, a GPS transmitter and batteries, so the most likely scenario is failure of an antenna or a problem with the way the payload is floating.

He says he's still hoping to receive a phone call from a boatie.

Culmination of 15-year dream

In the meantime he has contacted Iridium to ask if its satellite network has picked up any weak signals in the area that aren't strong enough to be officially relayed.

The rocket's booster was found off Great Mercury Island on Tuesday. The rocket blasted off from the island on Monday afternoon and parachuted back into the ocean.

The launch was the culmination of a 15-year-long dream for Mr Beck, who began working in his garage on an engine and a polymer-based fuel ignited by liquid nitrous oxide three years ago.