Tokyo. Honda, Japan’s second-largest carmaker, has successfully test-fired an experimental reusable rocket seeking expansion into the space sector, the company said.
Honda, which hopes to develop technical capabilities for suborbital launches by 2029, has conducted a test flight of its rocket on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The test has been successfully completed, honda landed the rocket for the first time after reaching an altitude of about 300 meters,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
About six meters (20 feet) high, the prototype device landed only 37 centimeters away from the designated landing site after a minute’s flight.
Honda said in a statement that demand for satellite launch rockets is expected to increase in the coming years as expectations of a “data system in outer space” grow.
Honda has chosen to take on the technical challenge of developing reusable rockets using combined Honda technologies in the development of various production and automatic driving systems,” the company said.
In the future, rockets could be used to install satellite-based communications equipment and monitor environmental conditions such as global warming, Honda said.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is known for its use of reusable rockets. This is a rapidly growing sector where companies around the world are racing to develop their models.
Japan’s space agency JAXA is also on the mission to become a key player in the satellite launch. This includes its H3 rocket and is not reusable.
Meanwhile, Japanese startups are competing to enter the busy sector. This includes Space One. It faced its second failed rocket launch in December. rss
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