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HASTE - suborbital Electron derived testbed
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 17 Apr, 2023 12:26
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https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1647938479756820480Introducing HASTE: Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron
A suborbital testbed rocket derived from Electron.
Reliable, high-cadence suborbital flight test opportunities to advance hypersonic tech development. Ready for launch from Virginia now. bwnews.pr/3odJUrn
Rocket Lab Introduces Suborbital Testbed Rocket, Selected for Hypersonic Test Flights
Rocket Lab’s new HASTE launch vehicle, derived from the Electron rocket, will provide high-cadence suborbital flight test opportunities to advance hypersonic system technology development
April 17, 2023 08:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today formally introduced the HASTE rocket (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron), a suborbital testbed launch vehicle derived from Rocket Lab’s heritage Electron rocket. HASTE provides reliable, high-cadence flight test opportunities needed to advance hypersonic system technology development, with the inaugural launch scheduled to take place in the first half of 2023 for a confidential customer.
“Rocket Lab has a strong track record of delivering tailored and reliable space capabilities for the civil space and national security communities across launch and space systems and HASTE is an extension of this,” says Brian Rogers, Senior Director – Global Launch Services. “Hypersonic and suborbital test capabilities are key priorities for the nation, yet the DoD’s ability to test these systems has been limited. With HASTE, we’ve taken a proven vehicle in Electron and tailored it specifically to deliver highly capable, frequent, and cost-effective hypersonic and suborbital test opportunities from our existing launch site in Virginia. Importantly, HASTE is not the promise of a future capability – it’s a completed launch vehicle ready for flight now, with the first one currently preparing for launch at our Integration and Control Facility in Wallops, Virginia, in the coming months.”
HASTE is evolved from Rocket Lab’s flagship Electron launch vehicle, which has been providing reliable access to orbit since 2018 and has successfully deployed satellites for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office), DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and the U.S. Space Force. HASTE employs the same innovative carbon composite structure and 3D printed Rutherford engines as Electron but has a modified Kick Stage for hypersonic payload deployment, a larger payload capacity of up to 700 kg / 1,540 lbs, and options for tailored fairings to accommodate larger payloads.
Rocket Lab has been selected by Dynetics to provide hypersonic test launch capability under the Multiservice Advanced Capability Test Bed (MACH-TB) project awarded by Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane division on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense. Separately, Rocket Lab has also been selected by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype hypersonic launch capability on HASTE under the agency’s hypersonic and high-cadence testing capabilities (HyCAT) program, which aims to increase the cadence of hypersonic testing at a decreased cost of traditional flight tests. Under the initiative, Rocket Lab will explore the integration of scramjet-powered payloads, including the DART AE (Additive Engineering) vehicle developed by Australian company Hypersonix Launch Systems. This continues DIU and Rocket Lab’s partnership, which started under the Space Systems Command Rapid Agile Launch Initiative (SSC-RALI) effort in 2018, providing rapid and agile launch capabilities to the DoD. Due to the prototype’s success, any DoD organization can utilize DIU’s Solutions Catalog to procure launch services from Rocket Lab.
Rocket Lab was also selected by Missile Defense Agency Targets and Countermeasures (MDA/TC) to conduct a now-completed study to evaluate a variety of payloads on HASTE, setting the stage for future test flight opportunities. These program awards highlight the versatility of HASTE in providing tailorable trajectories and aerodynamic test regimes.
HASTE will be primarily 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. Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 within the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is the launch site for HASTE.
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#1
by
trimeta
on 17 Apr, 2023 13:39
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This is apparently Anthony (from the MECO and Off Nominal podcasts)'s
"weird mission". He previously said it would launch
in April, although with the month half over and the press release just talking about Q2, I certainly wouldn't guarantee that.
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#2
by
XRZ.YZ
on 17 Apr, 2023 13:45
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Seems both Wallops and NZ launch site are not traditionally missile test area. Can range enough for support such developmental task?
Missiles will travel far from launch site. So should have range asset throughout the flight path.
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#3
by
Chinakpradhan
on 17 Apr, 2023 15:32
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So just ditching 2nd stage and adding a modified curie?
?
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#4
by
the_big_boot
on 17 Apr, 2023 15:35
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This def seems like a wallops-only thing, I wonder if this is what RL needed to close the case on recovering first stages from wallops
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#5
by
trimeta
on 17 Apr, 2023 16:03
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IIRC, Rocket Lab is licensed for a maximum of 12 launches per year out of Wallops. But is that just orbital launches? Does suborbital count against their limit?
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#6
by
sanman
on 17 Apr, 2023 17:06
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Is this just a testbed to service others, or can they develop any new IP from this?
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#7
by
Skyrocket
on 17 Apr, 2023 17:10
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Seems both Wallops and NZ launch site are not traditionally missile test area. Can range enough for support such developmental task?
Missiles will travel far from launch site. So should have range asset throughout the flight path.
Wallops is a traditional sounding rocket range, so support of suborbital missions should be no problem.
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#8
by
XRZ.YZ
on 17 Apr, 2023 17:37
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
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#9
by
whitelancer64
on 17 Apr, 2023 17:48
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
It's 5,150 km from Wallops to the closest shoreline of Europe (Ireland).
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#10
by
Redclaws
on 17 Apr, 2023 17:55
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
It's 5,150 km from Wallops to the closest shoreline of Europe (Ireland).
Sure, there’s room, but aren’t these things usually fired from places with lots of instrumentation a long ways down range? It’s interesting that Wallops apparently fits the bill.
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#11
by
ValidConcerns
on 17 Apr, 2023 18:06
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IIRC, Rocket Lab is licensed for a maximum of 12 launches per year out of Wallops. But is that just orbital launches? Does suborbital count against their limit?
I've enquired about this restriction, and it appears that 12 flight per year number is more of a soft cap than hard. It's more about how many orbital launches wallops itself can support a year, and to be honest it might be less than 12 as of right now.
As Wallops hosted over a dozen suborbital flights last year and due to there being fewer regulatory requirements around suborbital flight, I don't expect HASTE launches to count against the 12-orbital cap. All that being said, I'd be surprised to see them to push close to 12 launches from Wallops a year combined anytime soon.
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#12
by
whitelancer64
on 17 Apr, 2023 18:06
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
It's 5,150 km from Wallops to the closest shoreline of Europe (Ireland).
Sure, there’s room, but aren’t these things usually fired from places with lots of instrumentation a long ways down range? It’s interesting that Wallops apparently fits the bill.
There are US tracking / telemetry assets up the eastern seaboard of the US.
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#13
by
XRZ.YZ
on 17 Apr, 2023 18:09
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
It's 5,150 km from Wallops to the closest shoreline of Europe (Ireland).
Eastern Range and Western range have ground assets along the flight path for launch from Vandenberg and Cape canaveral.
But Wallops historically are not used for this kind of purpose. So assume there is no such tracking along the flight path.
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#14
by
edkyle99
on 17 Apr, 2023 18:10
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
It's 5,150 km from Wallops to the closest shoreline of Europe (Ireland).
Sure, there’s room, but aren’t these things usually fired from places with lots of instrumentation a long ways down range? It’s interesting that Wallops apparently fits the bill.
Wallops has hosted many more launches than any other U.S. launch site, I'm pretty sure, the vast majority suborbital, most for and by the U.S. Navy. They usually fly downrange over the Atlantic, east southeast for tracking by Bermuda and by tracking ships back in the day.
Making a suborbital Electron matches the performance provided by NASA's old Scout, which did both suborbital and orbital missions, many from Wallops.
- Ed Kyle
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#15
by
XRZ.YZ
on 17 Apr, 2023 18:17
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
It's 5,150 km from Wallops to the closest shoreline of Europe (Ireland).
Sure, there’s room, but aren’t these things usually fired from places with lots of instrumentation a long ways down range? It’s interesting that Wallops apparently fits the bill.
Wallops has hosted many more launches than any other U.S. launch site, I'm pretty sure, the vast majority suborbital, most for and by the U.S. Navy. They usually fly downrange over the Atlantic, east southeast for tracking by Bermuda and by tracking ships back in the day.
Making a suborbital Electron matches the performance provided by NASA's old Scout, which did both suborbital and orbital missions, many from Wallops.
- Ed Kyle
Sounding rockets usually flies very high, but not over much distance.
Idea for tracking from launch site.
Hypersonic missile are on opposite side, it flies a very low but travel great distance.
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#16
by
edkyle99
on 17 Apr, 2023 18:21
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#17
by
TrevorMonty
on 17 Apr, 2023 18:31
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Assume they will look to recover booster and maybe kickstage.
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#18
by
TrevorMonty
on 17 Apr, 2023 19:26
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From twitter feed sounds like it is 2stage Electron with kickstage.
Here is my guess on changes. Because of high payload 700kg vs 300kg on standard Electron and lower max speed they would need to make some structural changes especially to 2nd stage. 2nd stage would need to be smaller ie 400kg less fuel to keep lift off mass same as orbital version.
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#19
by
whitelancer64
on 17 Apr, 2023 19:27
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But hypersonic missiles (or gliders) can travel thousands of kilometers. The launch site itself will not cover this long.
It's 5,150 km from Wallops to the closest shoreline of Europe (Ireland).
Sure, there’s room, but aren’t these things usually fired from places with lots of instrumentation a long ways down range? It’s interesting that Wallops apparently fits the bill.
Wallops has hosted many more launches than any other U.S. launch site, I'm pretty sure, the vast majority suborbital, most for and by the U.S. Navy. They usually fly downrange over the Atlantic, east southeast for tracking by Bermuda and by tracking ships back in the day.
Making a suborbital Electron matches the performance provided by NASA's old Scout, which did both suborbital and orbital missions, many from Wallops.
- Ed Kyle
Sounding rockets usually flies very high, but not over much distance.
Idea for tracking from launch site.
Hypersonic missile are on opposite side, it flies a very low but travel great distance.
If they are launching northeast or southeast there are existing ground station / tracking assets. Only if launching East towards empty oceans are there no tracking assets.
?