Rocket Lab Prepares To Launch Latest Hypersonic Test Mission For Defense Innovation Unit
LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced its next launch is a dedicated mission on its HASTE rocket for the Department of War’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
The mission, named Cassowary Vex, is scheduled to launch no earlier than late February from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 within the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia.
The HASTE launch, dubbed ‘That’s Not A Knife,” is the latest mission of the DIU and will deploy DART AE, a scramjet-powered aircraft developed by Australian aerospace engineering firm Hypersonix.
This latest HASTE launch, the Company’s fourth hypersonic test mission in under six months, reflects Rocket Lab’s investment in restoring the nation’s hypersonic test capabilities through its commercial speed, innovation, and execution - a critical priority for the Department of War. By lowering cost barriers and increasing the test launch tempo for the United States and its allies, HASTE gives testers unprecedented control over flight profiles and environments up to Mach 20 – a commercial capability that remains unmatched globally and expands and secures U.S. space superiority.
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