Rocket Lab launches hypersonic test flight for US military (photo)

Rocket Lab launches hypersonic test flight for US military (photo) | Space Skip to main content Don’t miss these Drones Best Drones 2025: Take your pick of the very best Skywatching Kit Best telescopes for deep space 2025: View the universe in breathtaking detail Space Toys & Lego Best Lego space sets 2025: NASA sets, spaceships and more Skywatching Kit Best smart telescopes Black Friday 2025: Observe stars, galaxies and nebulas with ease Skywatching Kit Best budget telescopes under $500 we recommend in 2025 Skywatching Kit Best telescopes ahead of Black Friday 2025: Observe stars, galaxies and nebulas Skywatching Kit Best star projectors 2025: The top projectors and planetariums ahead of Black Friday 2025 Skywatching Kit Best telescopes for seeing planets in 2025 Skywatching Kit Best cameras for astrophotography in 2025 — shoot the stars Skywatching Kit Best telescopes for beginners Black Friday 2025: The best scopes for budding new astronomers Skywatching Kit Best telescopes for kids Black Friday 2025: The best child-friendly scopes Technology Best star projectors under $100: Black Friday 2025 Skywatching Kit Best smart binoculars 2025: Learn, share and be guided around the night sky Space Toys & Lego Best Lego Star Wars sets 2025: Top models ahead of Black Friday Skywatching Kit Best star projectors for kids: Night-lights and ambient toys to soothe young space fans Rocket Lab’s HASTE suborbital rocket launches from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a mission for the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on Tuesday (Nov. 18). (Image credit: Rocket Lab) Rocket Lab launched its hypersonic test vehicle for the sixth time ever this week.The HASTE suborbital rocket lifted off Tuesday (Nov. 18) at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, on a mission for the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA).The launch, which Rocket Lab named “Prometheus Run,” was a success, “advancing national interests in safeguarding the homeland through the testing of advanced technologies for missile defense,” Rocket Lab wrote in a description of the flight. Best picks for you Best Drones 2025: Take your pick of the very best Best telescopes for deep space 2025: View the universe in breathtaking detail Best Lego space sets 2025: NASA sets, spaceships and more View from the pad of our latest launch from LC-2.With HASTE, we’re proud to be unblocking the hypersonic test bottleneck with regular commercial launches, lowering the cost and increasing the tempo of hypersonic test flights for the U.S. and its allies. pic.twitter.com/vaSYHrlzpGNovember 19, 2025HASTE is a modified suborbital version of Rocket Lab’s 59-foot-tall (18 meters) Electron launcher, which gives small satellites dedicated rides to orbit. That lineage is in the newer vehicle’s name, which is short for “Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron.”HASTE debuted in June 2023 and has now flown a total of six times. The rocket serves as a testbed, providing “reliable, high-cadence flight test opportunities needed to advance hypersonic and suborbital system technology development,” according to Rocket Lab’s website.We don’t know much about the technologies that got tested on “Prometheus Run,” which isn’t terribly surprising given that the U.S. military booked the flight.”Led by MDA, the mission deployed a government-provided primary payload developed by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and multiple secondary payloads by federal and industry partners, which tested key technologies for missile defense applications,” Rocket Lab’s postflight statement reads.Get the Space.com NewsletterBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors The mission patch for Rocket Lab’s “Prometheus Run” mission, which launched on the company’s suborbital HASTE vehicle on Nov. 18, 2025. (Image credit: Rocket Lab)”Prometheus Run” launched within 14 months of its booking, the company added — a pretty quick turnaround for a government-sponsored test flight.”Accessing the commercial and non-traditional ecosystem is a key enabler to accelerating progress in the hypersonics community of interest, particularly for closing mission timelines and driving towards mass and affordability,” Lt. Col. Nicholas Estep, director of DIU’s Emerging Technology Portfolio, said in the same statement. “Working with MDA to demonstrate commercially-focused sub-orbital launch services is a great example of that axiom.” Mike WallSenior Space WriterMichael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, “Out There,” was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 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