Virginia Spaceport Authority Launches first Rocket Lab HASTE mission
Virginia Spaceport Authority successfully launched Rocket Lab’s first suborbital testbed launch vehicle called HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) for Leidos on June 17, 2023.
Virginia Spaceport Authority successfully launched Rocket Lab’s first suborbital testbed launch vehicle called HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) for Leidos on June 17, 2023.
The inaugural launch, called Scouts Arrow, lifted-off at 21:24 EST from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
The HASTE suborbital launch vehicle is derived from the Company’s Electron rocket but has a modified Kick Stage for hypersonic payload deployment, a larger payload capacity of up to 700 kg / 1,540 lbs, and options for tailored fairings to accommodate larger payloads, including air-breathing, ballistic re-entry, boost-glide, and space-based applications payloads. By leveraging the heritage of Rocket Lab’s low-cost Electron – the world’s most frequently launched commercial small launch vehicle – HASTE offers true commercial testing capability at a fraction of the cost of current full-scale tests.
The Virginia Spaceport Authority owns and operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. MARS offers three launch pads, an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Airfield, the newest Payload Processing Facility (PPF) in the United States, and an Integration and Control Facility (ICF) to meet customer needs for launch, range testing, and research. The spaceport is FAA licensed for vertical launches to orbit and conducts business with NASA through a Space Act Agreement and IDIQ contract.
Virginia Spaceport Authority Media Contact
Chief of External Relations and CEO Action Group
Lillian Palmbach
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