Long Beach, California. 14 April, 2025. Rocket Lab USA,
Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”),
a global leader in launch services and space systems, today
announced it has been selected to provide hypersonic test
launch capability with its HASTE launch vehicle, engineering
expertise, and other services through its participation in
two multi-billion dollar government development programs for
the United States and the United Kingdom.
Rocket Lab
has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to participate
within its Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract
(EWAAC), a $46 billion indefinite delivery-indefinite
quantity (IDIQ) contract designed for the rapid acquisition
of innovative technologies, engineering services, and
technical solutions that develops the Air Force’s new
capabilities. The program has a contracting period through
to 2031 and is designed to be broad in scope, flexible in
funding, and agile for maximum use to enable the Air Force
to quicky procure services and technologies across various
domains.
Further, Rocket Lab has also been selected by
the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (UK MOD) for its
Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development
Framework (HTCDF), a ~$1.3 billion (£1 billion) framework
to rapidly develop advanced hypersonic capabilities for the
United Kingdom. As a newly-selected supplier to the HTCDF,
Rocket Lab is now eligible to bid to provide services,
technologies, and testing capabilities that support the
UK’s development of sovereign hypersonic
technology.
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Across both programs, Rocket Lab intends
to bid for contracts and task orders served by its
Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE)
launch vehicle, as well as other engineering, design, and
launch services. A suborbital variant of Electron – the
world’s most frequently launched small orbital rocket –
HASTE includes much of the same innovative technology as
Electron, including carbon fiber composite structures and 3D
printed rocket engines, but has a modified upper Kick Stage
tailored for hypersonic technology tests and a larger
payload capacity of up to 700 kg / 1,540 lbs. HASTE can
deploy technologies at speeds of more than 7.5km per second
to test air-breathing, glide, and ballistic payloads, as
well as technologies to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere from
space. Successful missions to date include three launches
for the U.S. Department of Defense – including twice
within just 21 days – from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2
launch site located on Wallops Island, Virginia. Combined,
Rocket Lab’s HASTE and Electron launch vehicles have
deployed 200+ payloads from its United States and New
Zealand launch sites to date.
Rocket Lab founder and
CEO, Sir Peter Beck, says: “The ability to contribute
toward the collective security of the United States and the
United Kingdom across both of these important programs is a
proud moment for the HASTE team, and a demonstration of
Rocket Lab’s commitment to lead from the front when it
comes to innovative and unique solutions for hypersonic
technology development. Keeping pace with global
developments means more affordable tests at a higher rate
that expands the boundaries of hypersonic technology – and
that’s a capability we’re already providing all in one
platform with HASTE, at a commercial price and cadence that
serves the mission of both
nations.”
