Rocket Lab has secured a multi-launch agreement with Anduril Industries for three hypersonic test flights using its HASTE launch vehicle, adding further momentum to growing U.S. hypersonic testing activity.

The launches will take place from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Virginia and will support the development of hypersonic technologies capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5. Anduril is funding the programme internally as part of its wider push to accelerate deployment timelines for future defence systems.

Rocket Lab says the first mission is expected to launch within 12 months, highlighting what the company describes as a compressed contract-to-launch schedule measured in months rather than years.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck says: “HASTE represents speed, affordability, and reliable hypersonic technology testing, and that's a powerful combination for the United States' government and industry partners like Anduril. Together, Rocket Lab and Anduril are bridging the gap between hypersonic research and operational deployment as fast as possible to ensure U.S. armed forces maintain a decisive technological advantage.”

“Anduril is proud to partner with Rocket Lab to advance one of the most complex problems in defence,” adds Gokul Subramanian. “This collaboration exemplifies Anduril's approach to solving the hardest problems in the space domain, working together with the best of the space industrial base to rapidly deliver scalable, cost-effective solutions.”

Rocket Lab says HASTE has achieved a 100% mission success rate since entering service in 2023. The latest agreement follows a separate four-year contract covering 20 HASTE launches for the MACH-TB 2.0 programme, part of a broader U.S. hypersonic flight test effort.

Combined, Rocket Lab says its HASTE-related contracts now account for almost a third of the company’s launch backlog, which exceeds 70 missions.