Honda joins space race with successful reusable rocket test

TOKYO - Honda is the latest to join the space race after the company said it successfully launched a reusable rocket. 

Honda R&D Co., Ltd., a research and development subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., made the announcement Tuesday, saying the rocket reached an altitude of nearly 300 meters, with a flight duration of 56.6 seconds.

What they're saying:

"We are pleased that Honda has made another step forward in our research on reusable rockets with this successful completion of a launch and landing test," Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda, said in a news release. "We believe that rocket research is a meaningful endeavor that leverages Honda’s technological strengths."

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"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."

The backstory:

Honda has been actively pursuing its role in the space race since 2021. 

The company said it viewed its endeavor as "a place to take on challenges to realize the ‘dreams’ and ‘potential’ of people worldwide while leveraging its core technologies."

Launch and landing test. (Credit: Honda)

What's next:

Honda said its research is still in the fundamental stage and no decisions have been made as to when its rocket will become commercially available. 

The company hopes to have an official launch by 2029.