Honda has hit a major milestone after it successfully launched and landed its experimental 20.6ft reusable rocket for the first time.
The test was carried out in Taiki Town in the Hiroo District and aimed to establish the key technology required for a reusable rocket.
Reusable rockets, also known as reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), can, as the name suggests, be reused reportedly over a short space of time, unlike traditional rockets that are single-use.
Several companies, including SpaceX, are working on reusable rockets and now the Japanese carmaker has thrown its name into the ring.
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Honda hits a milestone with its reusable rocket
Although best known for its cars and motorbikes, Honda now works across several industries, including aviation, with its HondaJet Elite II private jets selling for millions of dollars.
In 2021, it announced that it would be working in the field of space technology, and last year began carrying out safety engine combustion tests on a reusable rocket.
On June 17, it successfully launched and landed the rocket to demonstrate the key technologies involved in rocket reusability.
The test launch and landing saw the reusable rocket reach an altitude of 890ft (271.4 meters) and land within 14.5 inches (37cm) of the target touchdown point.
The flight duration was just 56.6 seconds, according to a statement from the company.
“We are pleased that Honda has made another step forward in our research on reusable rockets with the successful completion of a launch and landing test. We believe that rocket research is a meaningful endeavor that leverages Honda’s technological strengths,” Global CEO of Honda Toshihiro Mibe said.
“Honda will continue to take on new challenges — not only to offer our customers various services and value through our products, while addressing environmental and safety issues, but also to continue creating new value which will make people’s time and place more enjoyable.”
Although it’s a major step, the company has said that as yet, ‘no decisions have been made regarding commercialization of these rocket technologies’, but did add that it has a goal of achieving a suborbital launch by 2029.
More and more carmakers could be heading to space
Honda isn’t the only carmaker that is dipping its toe in the world of space exploration and research.
Toyota invested $44 million into startup Interstellar Technologies to build rockets, and has also worked with NASA to create a Lunar Cruiser.
Similarly, General Motors has worked alongside NASA on robotic technologies.
Hyundai Motor Group and Kia Motors also proudly announced they had ‘jumped into lunar mobility development’ back in 2022.
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