Rocket Lab Inks New Deal to Launch HASTE Mission from Virginia The new contract signed just days after Rocket Lab successfully launched the inaugural HASTE suborbital mission, marking a new era of rapid hypersonic technology development opportunitiesLong Beach, California. August 8, 2023 – Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has signed a new launch services agreement with a confidential customer for a HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) mission from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in 2024.The contract signing with a new customer came just days after Rocket Lab successfully launched the first HASTE mission on 17 June 2023 for Leidos under the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) program. The mission was Rocket Lab’s third mission from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport since the Company began launches form U.S. soil in January this year, demonstrating rapid and reliable launch capability for government and commercial programs.“After delivering mission success with our HASTE launch in June, we’re delighted to be selected once again to deliver this crucial capability, enabling our customers to accelerate hypersonic innovation,” said Brian Rogers, Senior Director – Global Launch Services. “We’re immensely proud to be delivering a vital capability to the nation by increasing the cadence and availability of hypersonic and suborbital flight testing to enable technology maturation.”Rocket Lab’s HASTE suborbital launch vehicle is derived from the Company’s workhorse Electron rocket – the world’s most frequently launched commercial small launch vehicle. Leveraging Electron’s deep flight heritage, HASTE offers true commercial testing capability on rapid schedules and at a fraction of the cost of current full-scale tests. Tailored specifically for suborbital and hypersonic test flight capability, HASTE has a modified Kick Stage, a larger payload capacity of up to 700 kg / 1,540 lbs, and options for tailored fairings to accommodate larger payloads.HASTE is operated under Rocket Lab National Security (RLNS), the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary created to serve the unique needs of the U.S. defense and intelligence community and its allies. For more information about HASTE, visit rocketlabusa.com/launch/haste.ENDS
Rocket Lab Signs Deal with Leidos to Launch Four HASTE MissionsSeptember 12, 2023The four new missions follow on from the success of Rocket Lab’s first HASTE launch for Leidos in June this yearLONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has signed a contract with Leidos to launch four HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) missions.The missions, scheduled across 2024 and 2025, will lift off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. Rocket Lab was selected by Leidos to provide hypersonic test launch capabilities with HASTE under the MACH-TB project. The project was awarded by Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) vehicle on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center (TRMC).“Our first HASTE mission in June this year successfully demonstrated HASTE’s ability to accelerate the cadence of hypersonic flight testing for the nation. We’re proud to now follow it up with a series of four additional missions for Leidos to support hypersonic technology innovation and technology maturation,” said Brian Rogers, Senior Director – Global Launch Services.Rocket Lab’s HASTE suborbital launch vehicle is derived from the Company’s Electron rocket but has been modified to support hypersonic payload deployment. By leveraging the heritage of Rocket Lab’s low-cost Electron – the world’s most frequently launched commercial small launch vehicle – HASTE offers true commercial testing capability at a fraction of the cost of current full-scale tests.Rocket Lab launched the first HASTE mission on 17 June 2023 for Leidos under the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) program.HASTE is operated under Rocket Lab National Security (RLNS), the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary created to serve the unique needs of the U.S. defense and intelligence community and its allies.For more information about HASTE, visit rocketlabusa.com/launch/haste.+ About Rocket LabFounded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, the Photon satellite platform and the Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 171 satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
Rocket Lab's HASTE launch vehicle on the pad at Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia. Image credit: Austin Adams.
Congrats! Are there any plans to fly HASTE from NZ in the future or is that exclusively from Wallops?
Exclusively Wallops
Brian Rogers, senior director of global launch services, told C4ISRNET that because of the Pentagon’s hypersonic flight testing push, he expects demand for HASTE to continue to grow as the company logs more flights.“Leadership across DoD has talked about this as a problem that needs solving,” he said in a Sept. 28 interview. “I don’t see the threat environment changing much and so I think from a demand signal, it is only increasing.”
1) Given RL can now do water recovery of booster one option is leave payload attached to booster for return.
Quote from: TrevorMonty on 10/10/2023 02:41 pm1) Given RL can now do water recovery of booster one option is leave payload attached to booster for return.RocketLab already said that HASTE flights will only be from Wallops, and water recovery is only available for NZ launches.
RL never said no to booster recovery out of Wallops just needed high enough flightrate to justify marine assets. I doubt HASTE flights would happen outside USA as there is security issues plus lot of these tests would need monitoring with other assets eg US warships.
Quote from: TrevorMonty on 10/10/2023 06:31 pmRL never said no to booster recovery out of Wallops just needed high enough flightrate to justify marine assets. I doubt HASTE flights would happen outside USA as there is security issues plus lot of these tests would need monitoring with other assets eg US warships. HASTE is offered to all US and New Zealand Allies supported by those International defense assets. HASTE is authorised by addendum by New Zealand's CAA et al to launch from the LC-1 pads on a mission licence by mission licence basis with MoD pre-authorization and involvement.
Quote from: russianhalo117 on 10/11/2023 12:13 amQuote from: TrevorMonty on 10/10/2023 06:31 pmRL never said no to booster recovery out of Wallops just needed high enough flightrate to justify marine assets. I doubt HASTE flights would happen outside USA as there is security issues plus lot of these tests would need monitoring with other assets eg US warships. HASTE is offered to all US and New Zealand Allies supported by those International defense assets. HASTE is authorised by addendum by New Zealand's CAA et al to launch from the LC-1 pads on a mission licence by mission licence basis with MoD pre-authorization and involvement.Doesn't mean US customers are rushing to fly their missions out of NZ especially given they have Wallops. There is one Australian company that has booked a HASTE mission, will be interesting to see which pad they use.
Quote from above article."The rocket could also help meet NASA’s need for launch support for suborbital experimentation."Not sure how they plan to do this but can take a guess. Use booster only. 1) Given RL can now do water recovery of booster one option is leave payload attached to booster for return. 2) RL develop a suborbital capsule.3) Propulsive landing of booster. Being suborbital mission should have plenty of performance reserves. Also good practice for Neutron. 2 &3 combination. Payload returns in capsule while booster does propulsive landing.
It has been a big year for our HASTE program! Since announcing the capability just 6 months ago, we’ve been awarded 7 launch contracts for hypersonic suborbital missions from LC-2. Details on the latest HASTE contract with @DIU_x here:
Rocket Lab Adds New HASTE Launch from Virginia for the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation UnitThis latest dedicated HASTE contract is the seventh mission to be added this year to Rocket Lab’s suborbital launch manifestNovember 08, 2023 04:15 PM Eastern Standard TimeLONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has signed a launch services agreement with the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for a HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) mission from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Virginia.The HASTE mission will deploy a suborbital payload by Australian company Hypersonix called DART AE, a scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicle capable of flying non-ballistic flight patterns at speeds of up to Mach 7 (approx. 8,350 kilometres / 5,320 miles per hour). The mission will launch from Rocket Lab’s dedicated launch site at the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island as early as Q1, 2025. The HyCat mission will demonstrate HASTE’s ‘direct inject’ capability by deploying the Hypersonix payload during ascent, while still within Earth’s atmosphere.This latest HASTE mission is the seventh suborbital launch contract awarded to Rocket Lab this year, including Rocket Lab’s first HASTE mission launched on 17 June 2023 for Leidos under the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) program. Leidos has since signed on for four more HASTE missions to launch in 2024 and 2025. Another HASTE launch contract was also announced in August 2023 for a confidential customer.The mission will be operated by Rocket Lab National Security (RLNS), the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary created to serve the unique needs of the U.S. defense and intelligence community and its allies. RLNS, along with Hypersonix, was earlier this year selected by the DIU as a program partner to the DIU’s hypersonic and high-cadence testing (HyCat) project, a program to accelerate potential hypersonic technologies and concepts.Rocket Lab’s HASTE suborbital launch vehicle is derived from the Company’s Electron rocket but has been modified to support hypersonic payload deployment. By leveraging the heritage of Rocket Lab’s low-cost Electron – the world’s most frequently launched commercial small launch vehicle – HASTE offers true commercial testing capability at a fraction of the cost of current full-scale tests.
Tech demo launches for @NASA? We’re in! 🚀We’ve been selected by NASA to onboard Electron and HASTE to the Flight Opportunities program.The program provides flight opportunities to rapidly demonstrate promising technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion of space commerce. We can’t wait to help NASA take more tech from ground-based labs into real flight environments 😎http://nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-contracts-for-flight-payload-integration-services/
Fresh HASTE rockets coming down the production line alongside Electron, ready to take to the skies from LC-2 at @NASAWallops to enable suborbital missions.
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. seeks authority to support communications associated with testing, operation, and mission assurance of the companys Electron launch vehicle scheduled for launch in November 2024 from the Wallops Island Flight Facility in Accomack County, Virginia, previously authorized by the FCC through STA File Number 1613-EX-ST-2024.Rocket Lab USA, Inc.'s Electron launch vehicle will support a brief period of suborbital operations over the Atlantic Ocean for a single payload.Operation Start Date: 11/17/2024Operation End Date: 05/16/2025
Much of the information contained in this application, including operational parameters of the launch vehicle, detailed trajectory and mission events, is sensitive from a commercial, competitive, and/or financial perspective
Determination Regarding Attendance by NASA Employees at the Rocket Lab Event on November 19, 2024November 7, 2024On November 19, 2024, Rocket Lab will hold an event at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Chincoteague Rd., Wallops Island, VA 23337, at 7:00 p.m. This event is to view the Rocket Lab Launch from NASA Wallops in supporting the DOD’s MACH-TB program. Rocket Lab is in control of the planning, organizing, and issuing invitations for this event.[...]
