Rocket Lab launched its hypersonic test vehicle for the sixth time ever this week.

The HASTE suborbital rocket lifted off Tuesday (Nov. 18) at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, on a mission for the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

The launch, which Rocket Lab named "Prometheus Run," was a success, "advancing national interests in safeguarding the homeland through the testing of advanced technologies for missile defense," Rocket Lab wrote in a description of the flight.

HASTE is a modified suborbital version of Rocket Lab's 59-foot-tall (18 meters) Electron launcher, which gives small satellites dedicated rides to orbit. That lineage is in the newer vehicle's name, which is short for "Hypersonic Accel

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