Rocket Lab announces new Mach 20 hypersonic test launch from Virginia

Rocket Lab is set to launch a hypersonic test mission later this month using its HASTE rocket, a modified version of the company’s Electron small-lift orbital rocket, tailored for suborbital hypersonic testing. The mission, conducted for the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), will carry Hypersonix Launch Systems’ DART AE, a hydrogen-fueled scramjet-powered hypersonic demonstrator. This marks Rocket Lab’s fourth hypersonic test flight in under six months, with HASTE capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 20, a commercial industry first. The rocket’s design aims to reduce the cost of hypersonic testing, making it more accessible to both research institutions and commercial clients. The launch will occur from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. HASTE can lift up to 700 kg to suborbital space, more than double the payload capacity of the standard Electron rocket to low