Honda Successfully Completes Launch and Landing Test of Experimental Reusable Rocket
An experimental reusable rocket developed by the research and development arm of Honda Motor Company ascended to an altitude of nearly 900 feet on Tuesday, June 17th, subsequently landing with pinpoint accuracy at the carmaker's test facility in northern Japan.
While this accomplishment may appear modest, it is crucial to consider its broader implications. Honda's hopper represents the first prototype rocket outside the United States and China to successfully complete a flight of this nature, showcasing vertical takeoff and vertical landing technology that may form the foundation for developing reusable launch vehicles.
Honda's announcement on Tuesday was unexpected, although the company has previously discussed rocketry. In 2021, Honda disclosed that it had been working on a rocket engine for at least two years, with plans for a small satellite launch vehicle included in their roadmap.
The rocket mentioned by Honda in 2021 was intended to place a payload of up to 1 metric ton into low-Earth orbit. It remains unclear whether Honda continues to target this sector within the launch market. Company officials had committed to supporting internal development efforts until approximately 2025 or 2026, at which point a decision would be made regarding the project's continuation or cessation.
The announcement of the successful launch and landing test of their experimental reusable rocket follows a period of relative silence since the brief media blitz nearly four years prior. Developed internally by Honda R&D Company, the rocket vertically ascended from a pedestal at the company's test site in southeastern Hokkaido, the northernmost island among Japan's main islands, and reached an altitude of approximately 890 feet. The vehicle subsequently descended to a nearby targeted landing area, settling on its four landing legs just 15 inches (37 centimeters) from its aim point.
Remarkably, the rocket stood on its four landing legs during liftoff before retracting them as it ascended into the sky. At its peak altitude, aerodynamic fins were deployed- similar to those used on SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 and Super Heavy boosters. Moments before touchdown, these fins were folded back against the fuselage, and the landing legs were extended once again. The entire flight lasted approximately 57 seconds.
Honda stated that this initial launch and landing test demonstrated "key technologies essential for rocket reusability, such as flight stability during ascent and descent, as well as landing capability." The company confirmed that the rocket performed as expected and released a video documenting the test flight.
The test rocket is relatively small, measuring less than 21 feet in height and about 2.8 feet in diameter. When fully fueled, the rocket weighed approximately 2,892 pounds. Although Honda has provided limited information regarding the rocket's engines, the test flight video implies that the liquid-fueled engines utilize cryogenic propellants, possibly a mixture of methane and liquid oxygen.
Honda has repeatedly reinvented itself since its founding as a motorcycle company in 1946. Honda expanded into automobiles in 1963 and secretly designed an airplane in 1986 - an initiative that ultimately culminated in the HondaJet, a light business jet that achieved its first flight in 2003 and has received generally favorable reviews from pilots and owners.
"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. We believe that rocket research is a meaningful endeavor that leverages Honda’s technological strengths," said Toshihiro Mibe, global CEO of Honda. "Honda will continue to take on new challenges - not only to offer our customers various services and value through our products, while addressing environmental and safety issues, but also to continue creating new value, which will make people's time and place more enjoyable," Mibe added.
Additional space projects involving Honda include a pressurized crewed Moon rover, developed in collaboration between Japan's space agency and Toyota. Honda has agreed to supply the rover with a renewable energy system to continuously produce oxygen, hydrogen, and electricity from sunlight and water.
Honda stated that its launch vehicle remains "in the fundamental research phase" and no decision has been made regarding commercialization of the rocket program. Nonetheless, Honda aims to conduct a suborbital launch by 2029.
The company has not disclosed its expenditure on rocket development. Honda's hopper is smaller than similar prototype boosters used by SpaceX for vertical landing demonstrations, necessitating engineers to scale up the design to create a viable launch vehicle.
Tuesday's successful test places Honda among an exclusive group of companies with experience in flying reusable rocket hoppers, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, and several Chinese startups. Meanwhile, European and Japanese space agencies have funded reusable rocket hoppers named Themis and Callisto, neither of which has flown due to delays spanning several years. Before Honda's leadership approved the rocket project in 2019, a group of younger engineers proposed leveraging the company's expertise in combustion and control technologies for a launch vehicle. Honda officials believe the company "has the potential to contribute more to people's daily lives by launching satellites with its own rockets."
Honda highlighted the importance of satellite communications in enabling connected features in cars, airplanes, and other products. "In this market environment, Honda has chosen to take on the technological challenge of developing reusable rockets utilizing Honda technologies amassed in the development of various products and automated driving systems, based on a belief that reusable rockets will contribute to achieving sustainable transportation," Honda concluded.
Toyota, Japan's largest automobile manufacturer, also holds a stake in the launch business. Interstellar Technologies, a Japanese space startup, announced a $44 million investment from Toyota in January. The two firms established an alliance to leverage Toyota's automobile manufacturing expertise for setting up a factory to mass-produce orbital-class rockets. Although Interstellar has launched several sounding rockets, they have yet to build an orbital launcher. Japan's primary rocket builder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), another industrial titan, has never launched more than six space missions in a single year. MHI's newest rocket, the H3, debuted in 2023 but is entirely expendable. Car companies are typically unaccustomed to manufacturing single-use vehicles:Honda, the second-largest Japanese automaker, makes its entry with hopes of greater success than some of its industrial predecessors.