DOD mission set to launch from Wallops Island

By Linda Cicoira

Rocket Lab USA Inc. announced this week that it was selected to launch a full-scale hypersonic test flight under the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed 2.0 program for the Department of Defense. The mission will blast off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island sometime after March 31, 2026.

The launch agreement is the first full-scale flight test to be awarded through the contract, a $1.45 billion program designed to rapidly expand the number and frequency of opportunities to test hypersonic technologies for the nation.

Rocket Lab was picked to join the Kratos-led team of subcontractors for the program after delivering multiple successful hypersonic-test launches for the first iteration of the MACH-TB program in 2023. Successful missions include three launches for the DOD, including two in 21 days from Wallops.

HASTE, a suborbital testbed launch vehicle derived from Rocket Lab’s heritage Electron rocket, will be used for the launch. The company says it provides reliable, high-cadence flight test opportunities needed to advance hypersonic and suborbital system technology development.

Sir Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s founder and CEO, said, “In less than two years since its first launch, HASTE has quickly emerged as a leading commercial test platform of hypersonic systems. With our operational speed and cadence, and the ability to serve multiple mission profiles all in one platform, HASTE is helping to move the needle on hypersonic innovation. I’m confident this will be the first of many new opportunities to serve the nation through the MACH-TB program, and we’re proud to be working alongside Kratos to bring this test flight to the launch pad on a rapid timeline.”

In the U.S., HASTE is now part of the $46 billion Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC) under the Air Force.

     “This inclusion enables Rocket Lab to compete to provide launch services and engineering expertise to support the development of new capabilities,” Beck said.