Rocket Lab Launches Hypersonic Testbed
Rocket Lab successfully launched its HASTE suborbital rocket from Wallops Island. The mission, named "That’s Not a Knife," was conducted for Australian company Hypersonix and is part of a broader effort to advance hypersonic vehicle testing.
The HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) rocket is a modified version of Rocket Lab's operational Electron orbital launch vehicle, designed specifically for suborbital hypersonic test flights. This was the seventh launch for the HASTE platform, which has maintained a 100% success rate, and the second hypersonic test mission conducted for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in approximately three months. The rocket is capable of carrying payloads up to 700 kg (1,540 lbs) and can deploy them at speeds exceeding Mach 7.5. The payload for this mission was the DART AE, an autonomous hypersonic vehicle powered by a 3D-printed, hydrogen-fueled SPARTAN scramjet engine. Scramjets (supersonic combustion ramjets) are air-breathing engines that combust fuel in air moving at supersonic speeds, allowing for sustained hypersonic flight within the atmosphere. Because they cannot generate thrust from a standstill, they require a booster, like HASTE, to reach their operational speed of around Mach 5. This inaugural flight of the DART AE, named "Cassowary Vex" by Hypersonix, was designed to collect crucial flight data on propulsion, vehicle control, and aerothermal effects at speeds targeted up to Mach 7. The SPARTAN engine is notable for its reusability and use of hydrogen fuel, which produces zero CO2 emissions. The entire DART AE airframe is manufactured using additive engineering (3D printing). The mission was conducted for the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) as part of its Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT) program. The goal of HyCAT is to leverage commercial launch providers to create more affordable and frequent flight test opportunities, accelerating the development of hypersonic technologies for the United States and its allies. This mission represents a shift from infrequent, expensive government-led tests to a higher-cadence commercial model.
