We know Honda as a brand that manufactures vehicles, but what if I told you it’s also going for rockets? This Japanese company has successfully launched its own reusable rocket, which marks the beginning of Honda in the aerospace industry. This makes Japan a new rival for all private companies that are currently leading the industry like SpaceX is doing. This way Honda proves its commitment with technological innovation and shows its future is more than vehicles, it wants to be relevant in space too. So, let’s see what Honda is doing with its one new rocket.
The successful launch
Honda launching its own rocket is something we wouldn’t expect, which makes it so intriguing. So, let’s see what this rocket’s features are!
When talking about its height, it’s 21 feet and it reached 890 feet altitude which isn’t high enough to enter space. However, Honda’s aim was to prove its rocket was able to lift off, go up and then land; all of this in a vertical and controlled way.
This testing lasted for about 56.6 seconds at an Honda facility in Taika, inside the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. What’s remarkable about this testing was the fact that the rocket could land at just 15 inches from the exact point it was supposed to land. So, the rocket couldn’t enter space, but its aim was done.
Importance of this testing
Modern space exploration has to deal with a very complex technological challenge: rockets being used more than once. The good thing about reusable rockets is they can reduce the costs and increase launch sustainability. SpaceX is already leading this field and Honda wants to explore this.
With this testing it was also shown how space operations aren’t limited anymore to government agencies because more private companies have gotten into the space industry, and Honda doesn’t want to miss the chance to be one of these companies.
Honda’s aims in space
We don’t know yet what Honda pretends to use these rockets for or how they will be commercialized. What the company has stated is that this surprising step into the space industry is part of the idea of manufacturing more sustainable means of transport. The global CEO of Honda, Toshihiro Mibe, said this rocket represents the company’s powerful technology and it’s related to other sectors they are working on like the automated driving systems.
2029
The Japanese company has announced the idea of a suborbital launch in 2029. The main difference to the launch we commonly know (orbital launch) which goes around Earth, this suborbital one only reaches the space border and then comes back to Earth without going into orbit.
The role of rockets
Currently, we need data to picture a situation or think about whether something is important or not. Space data is very useful and it comes from satellites and that is why Honda suggests the demand for rockets to launch satellites will increase in the next few years.
Reusable rockets
Honda is putting its faith in reusable rockets could possibly be making space launch more sustainable and less expensive. This aim is also part of other companies’ strategies like SpaceX with its Falcon 9, developed by Starchip, which is also studied to be totally reusable.
Elon Musk is getting more rivals in the different industries he has been a leader on, but this is something normal. As time goes by, more companies are interested in other sectors and this is possible due to the technology advances many companies own. So, we will see if this rocket will mark a turning point in the space industry.