US and UK militaries pick Rocket Lab's HASTE launcher to help test hypersonic tech

HASTE blasts off on Saturday, June 17, from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Virginia.

Rocket Lab's HASTE suborbital rocket blasts off on June 17, 2023 from the company's Launch Complex 2 in Virginia. (Image credit: NASA/Patrick Black)

Rocket Lab is becoming an even bigger player in the world of hypersonic technology.

The militaries of the United States and the United Kingdom have both picked the California-based company as a potential partner for their multibillion-dollar programs dedicated to building hypersonic technology.

Rocket Lab can now compete for contracts via the two programs, offering the services of its HASTE suborbital rocket as a hypersonic testbed.

"The ability to contribute toward the collective security of the United States and the United Kingdom across both of these important programs is a proud moment for the HASTE team, and a demonstration of Rocket Lab’s commitment to lead from the front when it comes to innovative and unique solutions for hypersonic technology development," Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement on Monday (April 14), when the news was announced.

"Keeping pace with global developments means more affordable tests at a higher rate that expands the boundaries of hypersonic technology — and that’s a capability we're already providing all in one platform with HASTE, at a commercial price and cadence that serves the mission of both nations," he added.

— US Space Force picks Rocket Lab and Stoke Space to compete for national security launches

— Rocket Lab's secretive launch last month was a hypersonic test for the US military (photos)

The U.S. program is a $46 billion effort run by the Air Force called the Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract. The U.K. Ministry of Defense project, called the Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework, has a budget of 1 billion pounds (about $1.3 billion US), according to Rocket Lab.

HASTE is a modified suborbital version of Rocket Lab's workhorse Electron launcher — and the connection lies in its name, which is short for "Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron."

HASTE has launched thrice to date, each time from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. More launches are on tap for the near future, some of which will help test other tech for the U.S. military.

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Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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