Japanese car giant Honda has successfully launched and landed its experimental rocket, the company announced earlier this week. The flight, which took place in Taiki Town, Japan, was the company’s first successful rocket landing — marking a bold step into the next industry beyond cars.

According to the official press release, the rocket climbed to 890 feet and landed with “remarkable accuracy” — within 37 centimeters of the landing point. The accomplishment represents Honda’s next move to leverage its expertise in engineering and automation and launch into the next frontier: space.

The test launch, which measured about 21 feet tall and weighed over 2,800 pounds when launching, soared for 56.6 seconds. In that time, the rocket displayed stable vertical lift, flight control, and landing capability — three fundamental criteria for a reusable launch vehicle.

The legs, which are retractable, were integral to this success. They helped lift the rocket off the ground and ensure a steady, accurate landing. It’s a big deal for a company that didn’t make its debut in space just a few years ago.

You might be surprised to learn that this isn’t Honda’s first time dabbling in space. The company revealed its space program in 2021, but it’s mostly kept its rocket development secret since.

What’s unique about Honda’s rocket development is that the company is using technology from other industries, specifically from its automated driving systems. Technologies designed for road safety and navigation were repurposed for rocket navigation and control.

Notably, the entry into space isn’t just for prestige.

The automaker said the need for satellite infrastructure is growing and that the technology could benefit several of its future businesses — such as connectivity, logistics, and automated mobility systems. Satellites play a key role in data transmission, vehicle navigation, and communication services, so having an in-house launch capability could give Honda a big advantage in a rapidly expanding market.

However, the company is still cautious. It stated that the project is still in the “fundamental research” stage and that no decisions have been made regarding commercialization.

“Although Honda rocket research is still in the fundamental research phase, and no decisions have been made regarding commercialization of these rocket technologies, Honda will continue making progress in the fundamental research with a technology development goal of realizing technological capability to enable a suborbital launch by 2029,” the company said.

Honda’s ultimate goal is to achieve a suborbital launch by 2029. That’s when the rocket will cross the Kármán line — about 62 miles above sea level — but not go into orbit. It’s a major milestone in space travel and could eventually pave the way for further testing, satellite payload testing, and manned missions in the future.

Suborbital flights don’t take satellites into orbit, though. If Honda wants to send them into orbit, it will need a much more powerful and complex system — one that requires more funding and expertise. The company has not said whether it will pursue the highly competitive orbital launch market where giants like SpaceX and Blue Origin dominate.

But with this week’s test, Honda appears to be serious. It has the technology, the tech foundation, and now the data to support its space mission.

Taiki Town, where the launch occurred, is emerging as Japan’s “space town.” The local public and private sectors — including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — are banding together to transform the rural area into a budding hub for aerospace development.

The collaboration between Honda and Taiki Town illustrates how corporate ambition and local development can be leveraged to accelerate Japan’s space industry.

Last Thoughts

For Honda, this is just the start. Whether or not it will go on to pursue commercial launches, its first successful rocket landing puts it in a new class of private space players.

But with a clear goal for 2029, the next few years will be pivotal — not only for technological advancement but also for Honda’s place in the ever-changing space race.