Rocket Lab signs $190M contract for 20 hypersonic test flights

Rocket Lab (RKLB) announced the signing of a $190M contract for a block buy of 20 hypersonic test flights with its Haste launch vehicle for the Test Resource Management Center Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed 2.0 program. This is a “Department of War effort executed in partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division to rapidly accelerate hypersonic flight tests and advanced aerospace technologies shaping the future of defense missions,” the company said in a statement. Under MACH-TB 2.0 Task Area 1, led by Kratos Defense (KTOS), Rocket Lab will perform 20 hypersonic test flights with its Haste launch vehicle over a four-year period. The first of these 20 new missions is expected to take place within months of contract signing.