Photo: Honda
The Japanese company Honda has successfully launched and landed its first reusable rocket, officially joining the commercial space race.
According to Semafor, the 6-metre-long vehicle reached an altitude of about 270 metres after launch and made a controlled landing at a designated point in northern Japan.
According to the technology portal Gizmodo, the Japanese car giant has been working on space technology since 2021, but has kept its rocket developments secret, making this launch a surprise to the market.
According to experts, a successful test could be the first step for Honda in the fight for a place in the commercial space transport market, which is currently dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. At the same time, the latest tests of the Starship super-heavy rocket in the United States have failed.
Japan has ambitious plans – the government aims to double the size of the country’s space industry by the early 2030s.
