Honda successfully launched and landed its own reusable rocket
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Summary
Honda has announced the successful testing of its reusable rocket in Taiki town, Japan, in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The company’s research and development subsidiary developed the technology, which can reach altitudes of 890 feet.
Founded on work in automated driving, Honda will now assess whether it makes business sense to commercialise the technology and compete in an already busy market with the likes of SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Currently, Honda has no firm plans to monetise the rocket technology, and any commercial launch would be suborbital, rather than placing satellites in orbit.
The test is the latest in a series of experiments by the Japanese company in unusual fields: it has also been working on robotics, both for use on Earth and in space.