Rocket Lab Corporation successfully launched its latest hypersonic test mission on its HASTE rocket for the Department of War's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) - supporting a critical national priority to advance hypersonic technology for the United States and its allies. "That's Not A Knife" lifted off on February 27 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern (February 28, 00:00 UTC) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 within the Virginia Spaceport Authority's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia - the second successful launch of a hypersonic test mission for the DIU in three months and 7th HASTE launch overall. The mission deployed DART AE, a scramjet-powered aircraft developed by Australian aerospace engineering firm Hypersonix, into a suborbital hypersonic flight environment at several times the speed of sound.
With 100% mission success across all HASTE launches, Rocket Lab is helping to shape a new era of hypersonic systems testing with speed and precision, lower costs, and a modern test platform that serves the Department of War's critical technology priorities. In under two years since its inaugural launch, HASTE has rapidly established itself as a premier commercial test platform for hypersonic systems. By combining Rocket Lab's unmatched operational speed and cadence with the versatility to support diverse mission profiles within a single test platform, HASTE is driving significant advancements in hypersonic innovation and technology readiness for the nation.
