Rocket Lab Launches Second HASTE Mission for Leidos

Rocket Lab’s second dedicated mission for Leidos successfully lifted off on November 24, 2024, at 06:00 UTC. The launch was performed by HASTE, a vehicle derived from the two-stage orbital-class expendable Electron, from Pad 0C (Rocket Lab LC-2) within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

*Rocket Lab HASTE from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Credits: Rocket Lab*

This mission marks the second launch of HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) and the first of four launches planned for Leidos between 2024 and 2025.

Mission overview, background, and S2MARTS

The HASTE vehicle, a variant of the Electron, is adapted for suborbital hypersonic tests. The first experiment was previously conducted on June 17, 2023, as part of the MACH-TB (Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed) program.

The contract for the advancement of the hypersonic program was awarded to Leidos’s Dynetics team by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane in 2022, through the S²MARTS program (Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems).

*George J. Rumford, Director of the DoD Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), at the 2024 NSTXL (National Security Technology Accelerator) on the MACH-TB program. Credits: NSTXL*

Along with the S²MARTS program, the U.S. seems clearly intent on deeply financing and promoting hypersonic tests, with Rocket Lab set to deliver such prototypes. During a testimony to the House Armed Services Committee in March, Jeffrey McCormick, at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, emphasized:

“China now has the world’s leading hypersonic arsenal, and Russia currently has three deployed hypersonic weapon systems, including two that have been used in a conflict against Ukraine.”

— Jeffrey McCormick, senior intelligence analyst

As the hypersonic race intensifies, the S²MARTS program, created in 2019 and managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), aims to design innovative technological solutions to address current and future security threats.

In March 2021, the U.S. Army began the development and testing of a new EGB prototype hypersonic equipment. In the picture, the delivery of the prototype for soldiers with the arrival of two training canisters. Credits: Elliot Valdez - U.S. Army — In March 2021, the U.S. Army began the development and testing of a new EGB prototype hypersonic equipment. In the picture, the prototype for soldiers is delivered along with two training canisters. Credits: Elliot Valdez/U.S. Army

One of the main objectives of MACH-TB is the development of a modular EGB (experimental glide body). The purpose is to test and create a platform, designed to mimic hypersonic glide vehicles and test capabilities before integration into weapons.

HASTE role and configuration

The NSWC Crane Division and the DoD primarily aim to address current and future security threats in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS), trusted microelectronics, and strategic mission hardware environments, given the critical role in modern warfare.

This series of tests and prototypes aligns with the directive of the Other Transaction Authority (OTA). The OTA mandates a streamlined process to bring innovative research findings and state-of-the-art prototypes from industry to the US Federal Government, enhancing communication and collaboration between the two sectors.

On June 17, 2023, the MACH-TB program successfully launched its first suborbital test-bed vehicle in a critical step forward toward advancing U.S. hypersonic technology.

*Configuration idea from HASTE electron payload modification. Credits: Rocket Lab*

The main differences between a standard Electron and the modified version stand in payload capacity, offering 400kg more due to the suborbital trajectory. The flight also offers an optimized customizable trajectory and targeting for hypersonic and re-entry research, ballistic tests, and suborbital testing.

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.

Hypersonic Technology development from Russia, China, and the USA

Even if there is no immediate statement of threat from China, the US evidenced some strong development of hypersonic velocity from Russia and China.

The new GDF-600 hypersonic weapon is a new development from the Guangdong Aerodynamic Research Academy, which expresses the advancement and investment of China’s research in hypersonic technologies.

*Debris of various components of the Zircon 3M22. Credits: vechirniy.kyiv.ua*

Furthermore, the threat of hypersonic missiles developed by Russia also seems a question of concern for the United States. On February 7, 2024, the government-run Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise announced the finding of the residual of a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile of the Russian military, proving its use in the war in Ukraine.