Rocket Lab Expands Role in U.S. Military’s Hypersonic Technology Push

Mark
Rocket Lab Expands Role in U.S. Military's Hypersonic Technology Push
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Rocket Lab is set to help the U.S. military test more hypersonic vehicles, Space.com reports. The company, based in California, has teamed up with defense contractor Kratos for the MACH-TB 2.0 program. This program is aimed at boosting the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) ability to conduct hypersonic test flights.

Rocket Lab’s HASTE vehicle, an upgraded version of its Electron rocket, will play a key part. It is designed to launch hypersonic test vehicles on suborbital flights.

The company already made its mark on this front when it completed a successful test flight on November 24, 2024, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia. The upcoming partnership is expected to ramp up these efforts.

Brian Rogers, Rocket Lab’s VP of Global Launch Services, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with Kratos, highlighting the company’s commitment to advancing hypersonic technologies for the U.S. military.

The MACH-TB 2.0 program, worth $1.45 billion over five years, will increase the Pentagon’s ability to test and launch hypersonic vehicles. The Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), a part of the U.S. Department of Defense, oversees this initiative to ensure proper infrastructure for testing new military tech.

The TRMC’s Director, George Rumford, emphasized how vital MACH-TB is for accelerating hypersonic capabilities in the U.S. military.

With this agreement, Rocket Lab will continue to play a key role in pushing the boundaries of hypersonic flight for the U.S. military starting in 2025.

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Mark is the kind of person who gets way too excited about new software updates and can’t resist taking apart gadgets—just to see if they can put them back together. With years of experience in tech journalism and a love for all things digital, Mark writes about the stories behind the screens, from game-changing innovations to the everyday tech that keeps life running smoothly. Outside of work, they’re the go-to “tech support” for friends and family, whether it’s fixing a printer that won’t cooperate or explaining why Grandma’s laptop keeps showing pop-ups. When Mark isn’t glued to their screen, they’re probably building their dream PC, rewatching sci-fi movies for the hundredth time, or testing a gadget that promises to “change everything.” Spoiler: they’ll let you know if it actually does.