Remember the talk about Rocket Lab using a suborbital version of their Electron as a hypersonics test vehicle? They conducted the first mission last night from Wallops Island, Virginia.
The vehicle, called Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE), lifted off from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, at 9:24 p.m. Eastern. Rocket Lab declared the launch a success in a statement nearly an hour and a half after liftoff.
“100% mission success from tonight’s launch,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, tweeted after the flight. “A perfect flight of the nation’s newest hypersonic test platform HASTE.”
As might be expected in a DOD-related test mission like this, the company didn't disclose anything about the payload or other details about the flight. The company didn't announce the launch in advance, although NextSpaceflight.com listed it, presumably from FAA sources, such as the Notices To Airmen (NOTAM).
They did post this photograph of the rocket's trail later on in the Twitter thread mentioned above.
The Tweet points out that the apparent dogleg change in trajectory is real.
Rocket Lab plans to launch HASTE exclusively from Wallops.
“Wallops, at its core, is a test and research range perfectly suited for these sorts of missions,” David Pierce, director of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, said in a post-launch statement.
Rocket Lab isn't saying how many HASTE missions to expect. That might be classified and it might simply be unknown - it's a new service, after all. SpaceNews notes: "in a May 9 earnings call, Rocket Lab projected 15 Electron launches overall in 2023, a figure that includes both orbital and HASTE missions." This is the sixth Electron launch this year.
Don't understand this hypersonic approach to new weapons. Patriot has already taken down a Russian hypersonic vehicle (by my understanding). This on top of a successful intercept of a ballistic missile target. I realize that favoured angles of approach are needed, but why spend billions on these when the counter has been demonstrated.
ReplyDeleteI've been a bit puzzled about this since the hype started. Hypersonics are not new. Every single ICBM ever has been hypersonic. I know there were research programs into hypersonic tactical missiles years ago.
DeleteHypersonic missiles as a tactical threat? Maybe but it still strikes me as overblown. Is it just because it sounds so badass? "The Chinese have hypersonic missiles but ours are old technology" sounds like a marketing campaign from the defense industry.
There are 2 basic hypersonic concepts; a boost / glide vehicle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersonic_glide_vehicle) and an air breathing scramjet powered cruise missile (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersonic_Air-breathing_Weapon_Concept). The first is basically an extension of a ballistic missile with a much more maneuverable, but slower, warhead than a ballistic missile. The second is a scramjet powered cruise missile that would have much more tactical utility. The US has been playing shell games with program names and sponsors in this arena for the last decade. DARPA funded both concepts for quite a while, but after the successful demonstration of a scramjet in 2021 and 2022 by DARPA and Lockheed, the program of record for the boost / glide system was cancelled (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-183_ARRW). The goal of all of these systems is rapid response strike against high value targets. The exact capabilities of the Russians and Chinese in this area are not publicly known, but in the case of the Russians I'd rule them exaggerated at best. Whether a Patriot actually shot one down is also unknown, but not impossible in the terminal phase where the weapon will only be doing Mach 3 - 4. If it did, it was undoubtedly with a Pac - 3 weapon (https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/mfc/documents/pac-3/2022-01-05_LM_PAC-3_MSE_Overview.pdf). As you might guess, I had some small involvement before I retired.
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