By Daisuke Narahashi

Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Honda Motor Co. announced Tuesday that it has successfully launched and landed a small experimental reusable rocket on the ground.

This is the first time a private company in Japan has successfully conducted a launch and landing test of a reusable rocket, according to the company.

The rocket was developed by Honda R&D Co., a subsidiary of Honda Motor, and tested in Taiki, Hokkaido, late Tuesday afternoon.

Reusable rockets are expected to reduce launch costs, and SpaceX of the United States is leading the way globally.

Honda's test rocket measured 6.3 meters in length and 85 centimeters in diameter. After launch, the rocket reached an altitude of about 300 meters, and landed while remaining upright, with a flight time of about a minute. Honda said it utilized its technologies amassed through the development of automobile engines and self-driving vehicles, among other technologies, and achieved a landing within 37 centimeters of the target touchdown point.

Going forward, Honda plans to continue improving rocket technologies and aims for a suborbital launch at an altitude of about 100 kilometers by 2029. The company envisages that its rocket technologies will enable the launch of small artificial satellites into satellite orbit but said no decisions have been made regarding the commercialization of the technologies.

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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.

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June 18, 2025 04:59 ET (08:59 GMT)

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