082 - That's Not A Knife

[[Home|🏠]] > [[Launches]] > That's Not A Knife >[!success] Mission Success 'That's Not A Knife' was Rocket Lab's latest hypersonic test mission for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on its HASTE launch vehicle. The mission launched February 27, 2026 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 within the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. ‘That’s Not A Knife” deployed DART AE, a scramjet-powered aircraft developed by Australian aerospace engineering firm Hypersonix. This HASTE launch 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. [📸 Mission Photo Album](https://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketlab/albums/72177720332005293/) | **Mission Name** | That's Not A Knife | | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Launch Date** | 2026-02-27 19:00 | | **Outcome** | ✅ | | **Customer** | [[Hypersonix]] | | **Location** | [[Launch Complex 2#Launch Pad 0C]] | | **Vehicle** | [[HASTE]] | | **Orbit Type** | Suborbital | | **Target Orbit** | n/a | | **Payload Mass** | Unknown | | **Recovery** | n/a | | **Mission Link** | https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/launches/thats-not-a-knife/ | | **Press Kit** | No Press Kit | ![[F82-Thats-Not-A-Knife-Patch.webp|300]] ## 📦 Payload x1 [[Hypersonix#DART AE]] ![[Hypersonix#DART AE]] ## 📽️ Launch Video ![](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQru-Ol7DWU) 🔗 Backup Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQru-Ol7DWU ## 📰 News %%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start ``` table published as "Published" from "News" where contains(mission, [[]]) sort published desc ``` %% | File | Published | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------- | | [[News/Mission Success Rocket Lab Launches 2nd Hypersonic Test Mission in Three Months for Defense Innovation Unit.md\|Mission Success Rocket Lab Launches 2nd Hypersonic Test Mission in Three Months for Defense Innovation Unit]] | February 27, 2026 | %%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %% --- ![](http://x.com/RocketLab/status/2027534681848353200)