Rocket Lab tapped for project to accelerate pace of hypersonic flight testing

Rocket Lab tapped for project to accelerate pace of hypersonic flight testing

Rocket Lab will launch the first full-scale hypersonic flight test under the Pentagon's $1.45 billion program to upgrade test infrastructure, a major move to expand the Defense Department's limited hypersonic testing capacity. The mission is scheduled for no earlier than the first quarter of 2026 and will use Rocket Lab’s sub-orbital HASTE rocket to deploy a hypersonic payload from Wallops Island, VA, the company announced April 23. Kratos Defen…