"This will be Rocket Lab's fourth hypersonic test mission for the military in under six months, deploying the DART AE hypersonic demonstrator drone from Australia's Hypersonix Launch Systems. The quick cadence of these flights shows how Rocket Lab is helping accelerate the U.S. military's hypersonic capabilities, while quickly establishing its role as the defense industry's go-to launch partner for next-generation technology."
"While the regular Electron rocket is built to carry smaller satellites into orbit - up to about 660 pounds to low Earth orbit - HASTE is tuned for something very different: screaming-fast speeds of up to Mach 20, or 20 times the speed of sound. It can also haul heavier payloads on these shorter suborbital hops, up to around 1,540 pounds."
Rocket Lab is preparing the Cassowary Vex mission, nicknamed "That's Not A Knife", to lift off no earlier than late February from Wallops Island, Va. The mission will be Rocket Lab's fourth hypersonic test for the military in under six months and will deploy the DART AE hypersonic demonstrator drone from Australia's Hypersonix Launch Systems. The rapid cadence of flights accelerates U.S. military hypersonic capabilities and positions Rocket Lab as a go-to launch partner for next-generation defense technology while opening a potential new revenue stream alongside traditional satellite launches. Rocket Lab will conduct the full launch using HASTE, a customized Electron variant optimized for Mach 20 suborbital tests, capable of carrying up to about 1,540 pounds and built to withstand extreme heat and forces, enabling repeated high-speed testing without the cost of a full orbital mission.
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