Honda successfully launched and landed its own reusable rocket

Honda’s reusable rocket takes disconnected and lands utilizing 4 retractable legs. | Image: Honda

Honda successfully conducted a “launch and landing trial of an experimental reusable rocket” developed by its probe and improvement subsidiary, the institution announced this week. It was the archetypal clip Honda landed a rocket aft it reached an altitude of 890 feet, according to a property release.

The motorboat took spot astatine a Honda trial installation successful Taiki Town, Japan, which the institution says “has been processing itself arsenic a ‘space town’ done the associated efforts of nationalist and backstage sectors,” including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The astir 21-foot gangly rocket, weighing implicit 2,800 pounds astatine launch, flew for 56.6 seconds earlier ”landing wrong 37cm of the people touchdown point” connected its 4 retractable legs that besides supported it astatine liftoff.

Honda primitively announced its plans to prosecute abstraction formation successful precocious 2021, and portion the institution has been backstage astir its progress, it is leveraging technologies antecedently developed successful different fields, including automated driving systems, to assistance make its archetypal reusable rocket.

The institution cites the increasing request for much satellites that volition perchance payment its different businesses arsenic the crushed for processing its ain motorboat system, but it hasn’t finalized plans connected however it volition beryllium commercialized. 

“Although Honda rocket probe is inactive successful the cardinal probe phase, and nary decisions person been made regarding commercialization of these rocket technologies, Honda volition proceed making advancement successful the cardinal probe with a exertion improvement extremity of realizing technological capableness to alteration a suborbital motorboat by 2029.”

A suborbital formation – upwards of 62 miles supra oversea level – volition beryllium a large accomplishment for the company, but that’s not capable altitude to successfully enactment a outer into orbit. Honda volition request to decide, based connected what it takes to scope its 2029 extremity including the outgo of the program, if it wants to instrumentality the adjacent measurement and vie with different backstage companies similar SpaceX and Blue Origin that are susceptible of conducting orbital flights.