SAEDNEWS: Honda has successfully completed a test flight of its reusable rocket in Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture, stepping into competition with SpaceX and other private space firms.
According to Saednews, Honda, Japan’s top automobile manufacturer, tested its reusable rocket on June 17 in Taiki Town, Hokkaido Prefecture.
The rocket, measuring over six meters long and weighing nearly 3,000 pounds, reached an altitude of about 300 meters before making a vertical landing without incident.
The test fulfilled a goal Honda set in 2021, demonstrating both flight stability and landing accuracy—within 15 inches of its target.
The launch highlighted Honda’s capabilities in key rocket development technologies.
Taiki Town, the site of the launch, is a hub for Japan’s space research.
It hosts facilities of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), academic institutions, and private space companies.
With a population of roughly 5,000 and no rail service since 1987, Taiki has embraced its identity as a “space town.”
The Taiki Multi-Purpose Aerospace Park includes JAXA’s Taiki Aerospace Research Field and the Hokkaido Spaceport.
The spaceport is also used by Interstellar Technologies, a Honda rival backed by Toyota.
Honda is not alone in challenging the US-dominated private space industry.
China’s LandSpace has also conducted successful reusable rocket tests at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with its Zhuque-3 model.
Honda began testing in 2024 with a focus on engine combustion and hover control.
The company is only the fourth to successfully test a reusable rocket.
Its current position is comparable to SpaceX’s development stage in 2013.
Despite the gap, Honda’s manufacturing scale and engineering resources could support rapid advancement.
Safety has been central to the program, developed in partnership with local authorities and residents.
For the latest test, Honda established a one-kilometer safety perimeter, accounting for possible crash trajectories and secondary effects like fire or debris.
Since 2021, Honda has applied its core technologies—including combustion control and robotics—to spaceflight.
It is also exploring renewable energy applications as part of its vertical integration strategy.
Ultimately, Honda aims to use its own rockets to launch satellites supporting its data and energy systems.
The company has not yet committed to commercial deployment.
It plans continued research, with a suborbital launch target set for 2029.
“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,” said Honda Global CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
“We believe that rocket research is a meaningful endeavor that leverages Honda’s technological strengths.
Honda will continue to take on new challenges—not only to offer our customers various services and value through our products,” Mibe added, “while addressing environmental and safety issues, but also to continue creating new value which will make people’s time and place more enjoyable.”
