Honda unexpectedly entered the commercial space race, launching and landing its first reusable rocket.
The 20-foot craft reached 900 feet in the air before landing precisely on its touchdown point in northern Japan.
The Japanese car manufacturer has been involved in spaceflight-related equipment since 2021, including fuel cells and electrolysis systems for use in space, but kept its rocket plans “relatively quiet,” Gizmodo reported, making the launch a surprise.
Japan wants to double the size of its space industry by the early 2030s.
Honda is some way from challenging SpaceX’s dominance of the sector, although it may be heartened by the fact that the US company’s latest test of its giant Starship rocket ended in an explosion on the launchpad.