Hypersonix Launch Systems, a Brisbane-based startup, completed the first Australian hypersonic flight test on February 27, 2026, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. The mission, named “That’s Not a Knife,” launched the company’s 3.5-meter DART AE uncrewed scramjet-powered demonstrator aboard Rocket Lab’s HASTE rocket, a modified Electron variant for hypersonic testing.
HASTE boosted DART AE to Mach 5-plus speeds at suborbital altitude, enabling the proprietary SPARTAN hydrogen-fueled scramjet—fully 3D-printed and capable of multiple restarts—to ignite for autonomous hypersonic flight. The test validated propulsion, materials, and control systems under real conditions, gathering data for future vehicles targeting Mach 12 and reusability, including the VISR intelligence platform.
Supported by the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit’s HyCAT program, which selected Hypersonix in 2023 from over 60 applicants, the flight marked Rocket Lab’s fourth HASTE test in six months and second HyCAT mission in three months. “This mission allowed us to test propulsion, materials and control systems in real hypersonic conditions,” said co-founder Dr. Michael Smart, a former NASA research scientist. CEO Matt Hill noted it confirmed years of engineering for extreme flight regimes.
Hypersonix raised US$46 million in Series A funding in October 2025, led by High Tor Capital with Saab, Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, Queensland Investment Corporation, and RKKVC. The company employs over 50 in Brisbane, advancing Queensland’s aerospace manufacturing.