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That's Not A Knife

Rocket Lab will launch a HASTE hypersonic test mission for the US Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in 2026 for its HyCat program, an initiative to provide the DIU with valuable hypersonic test data for future hypersonic programs. The mission will deploy a scram-jet powered vehic...

That's Not A Knife (DART AE)

Overview

Destination: Suborbital
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Suborbital Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA Probability: 90%

Payload is a scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicle developed by by Australian company Hypersonix.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

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Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 28, 2026, 12:18 a.m.

Mission success.

Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 28, 2026, 12:04 a.m.

Payload separation.

Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 28, 2026, midnight

Liftoff.

Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 27, 2026, 11:38 p.m.

New T-0.

Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 27, 2026, 11:28 p.m.

Hold at T-2:56.

Electron

Family:
Configuration:

Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.

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Specifications

Minimum Stage
2
Max Stage
3
Length
18.0 m
Diameter
1.2 m
Fairing Diameter
1.2 m
Launch Mass
13.0 T
Thrust
162.0 kN

Family

Name
Electron
Family
―
Variant
―
Alias
―
Full Name
Electron

Payload Capacity

Launch Cost
$6000000
Low Earth Orbit
300.0 kg
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
―
Direct Geostationary
―
Sun-Synchronous Capacity
225.0 kg

Rocket Lab

(RL)

CEO: Peter Beck Founded: 2006 Successes: 79 Failures: 4 Pending: 43

Agency Type:

Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. The company is also producing a variety of spacecrafts and spacecrafts components.

INFO WIKI

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