Honda’s latest venture is taking it to new heights — literally.
The Japanese carmaker announced Wednesday that it successfully launched and landed its own “experimental reusable rocket.” Company officials said the roughly 21-foot-tall booster reached an altitude of 890 feet before landing vertically.
The test flight is further indication that space operations around the world are expanding into the commercial sector rather than being limited to a handful of government space agencies.
The company has not yet revealed how it intends to commercialize its rocket technologies, or what the boosters could be used for, but said the research is part of Honda’s efforts into “sustainable transportation.”
“We believe that rocket research is a meaningful endeavor that leverages Honda’s technological strengths,” Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda, said in a statement.
The test launch and landing occurred Tuesday at a Honda facility in Taika Town, in Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture. The flight lasted 56.6 seconds and the rocket touched down within about 15 inches of its targeted landing site, according to the company.
Honda said it is next aiming to conduct a suborbital launch by 2029. Suborbital flights do not actually enter into orbit around Earth, but rather reach the edge of space at an altitude of more than 65 miles.
Honda first announced its foray into the space industry in 2021, but not much is known about what types of projects are ongoing, or their potential applications. The company said the work builds on Honda’s other work, including on automated driving systems.
“In today’s world, vast amounts of data are consumed, with the growing expectation for greater utilization of a data system in outer space through expanded use of satellites,” company officials said in a news release. “In light of this trend, the need for satellite launch rockets is also expected to increase in the coming years.”
Reusable rockets are seen as a way to make space launches more sustainable and cost effective. SpaceX remains at the forefront of the field, with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket. The U.S. company is also developing a next-generation booster, known as Starship, that it says will eventually be fully reusable.
