Latest news with #reusableRockets
The National
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The National
Honda revs up space race after reusable rockets test success
Japanese car manufacturer Honda is hoping to join an elite club of companies that launch reusable rockets after carrying out a successful test. During a one-minute flight on Tuesday, an experimental rocket reached an altitude of 271.4 metres before descending within 37cm of the target point. The successful test places Honda in a small but increasing group of companies, such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, China's iSpace and Europe's PLD Space, that regularly launch or are actively developing reusable rockets. Honda said its programme was still in the research phase and that no decisions have been made for commercial operations, but the short-term goal was to carry out suborbital flights by 2029. Sahith Madara, founder of advisory firm Bumi & Space, said the company could tap into the growing market for small satellite launches, including suborbital and low-Earth orbit missions for observation satellites and technology testing. 'It's about getting small satellites up quickly, reliably and affordably,' he said. 'And if Honda brings the same reliability to rockets as they do to their cars, we might be looking at the first launch provider where everything runs exactly on schedule.' From cars to rockets Honda's entry into space flight may seem unexpected but it builds on decades of engineering expertise. 'What makes this interesting is that Honda isn't starting from scratch,' said Mr Madara. 'They already know how to build robots, engines and autonomous systems at scale, which space start-ups often struggle with. 'So, while others are still proving they can launch, Honda is already thinking about how to land, recover and repeat. That kind of thinking matters as Japan ramps up its space ambitions, aiming to double the size of its space sector in the next decade.' The test took place in Taiki Town, a growing hub for aerospace research in Hokkaido where the Japanese space agency Jaxa and companies test latest technology. Japan has been encouraging industry leaders like Honda and Toyota to play a larger role in its space programme. Toyota, for example, is working with Jaxa to build a crewed lunar rover. '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,' said Toshihiro Mibe, global chief executive of Honda. Reusable rockets SpaceX pioneered reusable rockets with its Falcon 9 system, transforming the space industry by lowering launch costs and increasing the frequency of missions. Blue Origin, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has successfully flown and landed its New Shepard rocket several times on crewed suborbital missions. It is also looking to start commercial operations of its much larger orbital vehicle, New Glenn. In China, iSpace became the country's first company to reach orbit and is now developing rockets with vertical landing capabilities, as Beijing encourages its private sector to compete globally in the growing launch market.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Honda pulls off surprise reusable rocket test launch
Tokyo: Japan's second-largest carmaker, Honda, has successfully tested an experimental reusable space rocket on the nothern Japanese island of Hokkaido, the company said in a surprise announcement. "The test was completed successfully, the first time Honda landed a rocket after reaching an altitude of nearly 300 meters (1,000 feet)," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. The carmaker aims to achieve suborbital space flight in 2029. In 2021, Honda said it was studying space technologies such as reusable rockets but made no announcements prior to Tuesday's test. "Honda has chosen to take on the technological challenge of developing reusable rockets by utilizing Honda technologies amassed in the development of various products and automated driving systems," it said. The company said it has made no decisions regarding the commercialisation of this technology but that it has "the potential to contribute more to people's daily lives by launching satellites with its own rockets, that could lead to various services that are also compatible with other Honda business." It added that growing expectations for a "data system in outer space" will likely increase the demand for satellite launch rockets in coming years. The space race returns NASA was the first to successfully test a reusable spacecraft with the Space Shuttle beginning in the 1980s. The booster rockets could be salvaged from the ocean and refurbished, while the Shuttle itself was designed to land like an airplane. More recently, Elon Musk's SpaceX which is known for commercialising reusable rockets that land safely back on Earth. This has been used to establish the global satellite internet network Starlink. Japan's space agency JAXA is also on a mission to become a major player in satellite launches. Japan's government has set up a multibillion-dollar space venture fund to subsidize private rockets, encouraging several Japanese startups to work on the reusable technology.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Honda enters space race as reusable rocket lands within centimetres of target in milestone test, eyes suborbital launch by 2029
TOKYO, June 18 — Japan's second-biggest carmaker Honda has successfully tested an experimental reusable rocket, the company said, as it seeks to expand into the space sector. Honda, which hopes to develop the tech prowess for a suborbital launch by 2029, conducted a test flight of its rocket on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. 'The test was completed successfully, the first time Honda landed a rocket after reaching an altitude of nearly 300 metres,' the company said in a statement yesterday. The prototype device, around six metres tall, landed only 37 centimetres from its designated landing spot after the one-minute flight. Demand for satellite launch rockets is expected to increase in the coming years as expectations grow for 'a data system in outer space', the Honda statement said. 'Honda has chosen to take on the technological challenge of developing reusable rockets by utilising Honda technologies amassed in the development of various products and automated driving systems,' it said. In future, the rockets could be used to set up satellite-based communication tools and to monitor environmental conditions such as global warming, Honda added. Elon Musk's SpaceX is known for its use of reusable rockets — a fast-growing field with various companies worldwide racing to develop their own models. Japan's space agency JAXA is also on a mission to become a major player for satellite launches, including with its H3 rocket, which is not reusable. Meanwhile Japanese startups are vying to enter the busy field, including Space One, which in December suffered its second failed rocket launch. — AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
17-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
China's LandSpace Launches Improved Methane-powered Rocket
A new methane-powered rocket developed by China's LandSpace Technology launched six satellites into orbit on Saturday, doubling down on a cheap, cleaner fuel that the private startup hopes will help it develop reusable rockets. The Zhuque-2E Y2 carrier rocket blasted off at 12:12 p.m. (0412 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, marking the fifth flight for the Zhuque-2 series, according to a company statement. Beijing-based LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket in July 2023, ahead of US rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Interest has grown in recent years in launching carrier vehicles fuelled by methane, which is deemed less polluting, safer and cheaper than more commonly used hydrocarbon fuels and a suitable propellant in a reusable rocket. LandSpace has increased the rocket's payload, reflecting increasing demand in China's expanding commercial space industry amid growing competition to form a constellation of satellites as an alternative to Musk's Starlink. Its first successful methane-powered launch did not carry any real satellites, but the second launch in December 2023 successfully sent into orbit three satellites. Saturday's launch put six satellites into orbit, Reuters reported. Reusable rockets, pioneered by SpaceX, have demonstrated that they can lower costs for launch vehicles and space transportation. LandSpace founder and CEO Zhang Changwu has said the company had started developing reusable rockets and expected to conduct a test launch in the second half of 2025. The latest model in its Zhuque-2 series includes technical improvements that will help the company's goal of launching a reusable rocket. Saturday's launch marked the first time LandSpace has deployed a propulsion method that involves chilling both liquid oxygen and methane below their boiling points, boosting thrust. Chinese commercial space firms have rushed into the sector since 2014, when the government allowed private investment in the industry. LandSpace was one of the earliest and best-funded entrants. Founded in 2015, LandSpace has secured funding from investors including venture capital firm HongShan, known at that time as Sequoia Capital China, the investment arm of Chinese property developer Country Garden and the state-backed China SME Development Fund. LandSpace raised 900 million yuan ($120 million) in December from a state-owned fund focussed on advanced manufacturing, while in 2020 it raised 1.2 billion yuan ($170 million), Chinese corporate databases showed.
