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Global launch services and space systems company  (Long Beach, Calif., U.S.) has been selected by Kratos Defense (San Diego, Calif., U.S.) to launch a full-scale hypersonic test flight for the Department of Defense (DOD) under the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) 2.0 program. The mission will launch on Rocket Lab’s HASTE rocket from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, no earlier than Q1 2026.

The launch agreement is the first full-scale flight test to be awarded by Kratos under the MACH-TB 2.0 contract, a $1.45 billion program designed to rapidly expand the number and frequency of opportunities to test hypersonic technologies for the U.S. Rocket Lab was selected to join the Kratos-led team of subcontractors for MACH-TB 2.0 in January 2025 after previously delivering multiple successful hypersonic test launches for the first iteration of the MACH-TB program from 2023. Successful missions to date include three launches for the DOD — including twice within just 21 days — from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 in Virginia.

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A suborbital variant of the Electron orbital rocket, HASTE includes much of the same innovative technology as Electron, including carbon fiber composite structures and 3D printed rocket engines, but has a modified upper kick stage tailored for hypersonic technology tests and a larger payload capacity of up to 700 kilograms. According to Rocket Lab, HASTE can deploy technologies at speeds of more than 7.5 kilometers per second to test air-breathing, glide and ballistic payloads, as well as technologies to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere from space. Combined, Rocket Lab’s HASTE and Electron launch vehicles have deployed 200-plus payloads to date.

“In less than two years since its first launch, HASTE has quickly emerged as a leading commercial test platform of hypersonic systems,” says Sir Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO. “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.”

The mission is the latest to join an increasing manifest of HASTE launches for 2025 and 2026. Upcoming flight tests with HASTE include a mission for the Defense Innovation Unit to deploy a scram-jet powered vehicle at hypersonic speed; continuation of a multi-launch contract with Leidos to deploy five missions in total for the first iteration of the MACH-TB program; and a hypersonic test flight for a confidential customer.

In addition to MACH-TB, HASTE has recently been onboarded to two significant defense initiatives. In the U.S., HASTE is now part of the $46 billion Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC) under the U.S. Air Force. This inclusion enables Rocket Lab to compete to provide launch services and engineering expertise to support the development of new capabilities. In the U.K., HASTE has been added to the Ministry of Defence’s Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF), a £1 billion (~$1.3 billion) program aimed at rapidly advancing the nation’s hypersonic capabilities.