A next-generation rocket will soon take flight as part of an ongoing effort to elevate U.S. development of hypersonic capabilities.
The test, which will involve the HASTE rocket developed by Rocket Lab Corporation, will be conducted for the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the organization that guides the U.S. military’s use of nascent technologies by its commercial partners.
The forthcoming launch mission, dubbed “Cassowary Vex,” could send the hypersonic aircraft skyward as soon as the end of February, according to information released by Rocket Lab earlier this month.
That’s Not a Knife
The forthcoming launch will mark Rocket Lab’s fourth hypersonic test conducted within the last six months, operating under the appropriate launch event name “That’s Not a Knife,” in reference to the speeding aircraft’s streamlined, almost alien appearance.
According to a statement issued by the company, its latest propulsion test “reflects Rocket Lab’s investment in restoring the nation’s hypersonic test capabilities through its commercial speed, innovation, and execution,” all of which the Pentagon has identified as critical priorities, especially amid increased levels of hypersonic aircraft development by Russia and China in recent years.
The Cassowary Vex Mission
At the heart of the Cassowary Vex mission and its HASTE launch is DART AE, a scramjet-powered aircraft developed in cooperation with Rocket Labs partners at Australian aerospace engineering firm Hypersonix, which were the rocket’s principal developers.
If all goes according to plan, “That’s Not a Knife” is expected to take place from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, located at the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
Elevating American Hypersonic Capabilities
The forthcoming HASTE launch mission is part of Rocket Lab’s ongoing collaboration with the DIU to advance U.S. hypersonic systems amid growing demand for such capabilities over the last decade.
Known as “the Pentagon’s Innovation Experiment,” the DIU’s work is driven by contributions from both active duty and reserve military personnel, as well as civilian staff members.
In a statement, the company said that its efforts, which aim to prioritize affordability and overall access to advanced hypersonic systems, will also strengthen defense capabilities by “increasing the test launch tempo for the United States and its allies.”
“HASTE gives testers unprecedented control over flight profiles and environments up to Mach 20,” the statement read, characterizing the company’s offerings as “a commercial capability that remains unmatched globally and expands and secures U.S. space superiority.”
Additional details about the forthcoming launch and Rocket Lab’s ongoing development of next-generation hypersonic technologies can be found on its website.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.