this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2025
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Honda says growing expectations of a "data system in outer space" are going to increase the demand for rockets to launch satellites. So, the Japanese automaker quietly built one and tested it successfully.

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

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[–] [email protected] 93 points 4 days ago (3 children)

"OK, so, I want a Honda Civic, but for up and down instead of forwards and backwards."

[–] [email protected] 32 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Unironically, yes.

If Honda can make a rocket as reliable and cheap as a Civic, relatively, we all win.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I didn't know Honda made sex toys.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 days ago

Hitachi could make a reusable rocket, you just gotta wipe the sticky off it between flights

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

Technically, orbit is just forward, really, really fast. "Up" is incidental to the process.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Just wait until they add VTEC to it

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Was that a sonic boom? Nah, rev limiter!

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The aftermarket spoiler market for these will be huge.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Wait until Hector gets to Harry’s…this shit gonna be lit.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago

I expect we’ll see SpaceX rockets with VTEC stickers trying to masquerade as performance rockets.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Now that's a diversification I didn't see coming. Not bad.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago

Maybe they're gonna go full Yamaha.

Can't wait to play a Honda Tenor Saxophone.

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 4 days ago (3 children)

This must terrify Musk and his SpaceX

It pleases me.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (7 children)

rivaling their ... 8 year old technology

not a fan of musk but spacex seriously leapfrogged everyone in the 2010s

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Oh no their very first prototype test didn't catch up and surpass everything. Guess they're doomed. Better give up and stop trying.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

where the fuck did i ever say that

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 days ago (3 children)

only to seemingly all turn into a shit show.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

He's a shit show, but SpaceX is still doing great. They have more launches per year than any other company or country. While they've had multiple launches explode recently, that's their newer larger rocket where they're still working out kinks.

If they can't get that into shape eventually it could be a problem for the company, but their smaller rocket has a great record, reusable, a fraction of the cost of any other launch provider. Right now they're the only game in town for the U.S. getting to the ISS.

I'd love to see Musk ousted, and more importantly to see real competition from other private launch providers. But don't let Musk hate color your view of reality.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Fair enough, though he builds all his personal image on completely associating his whole being with the companies he runs. Apparently he is even the chief engineer of spaceX probably because he wants to feel like Tony Stark. It is hard to trust a company where he names him self the chief engineer because that means he can enforce stupid decisions only because it sounds cool to him. Then once in a while he comes up with ridiculous stuff like donating his sperm for the mars mission or stuff like this:

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/spacex-musk-safety/

https://aflcio.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/Memo%20on%20Elon%20Musk%20OSHA%20cases_.pdf

https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/elon-musk-told-spacex-workers-181406484.html

Otherwise kudos to all the great engineers who work there but I am not optimistic unless he lessens his influence there.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago

Modern rockets have only been a thing for 70 years. 8 years is nothing. That would be like saying Rivian or Tesla can’t compete with Ford because they haven’t been making cars as long. Tesla didn’t have to spend a decade making the Model A or T before it figured out how to make cars effectively. Honda will also be able to spend less time making it to orbit than SpaceX did.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Down voted because you didnt immediately talk shit about someone. We all hate musk but it doesnt mean we have to claim it for every post.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

from what I've heard musk and the HR head is basically destroying spacex from the inside?

i dislike their upper management but i still appreciate what the people there do, and think what they're doing is incredible

lemmy doesn't seem to like nuance unfortunately

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Altitude of 300m …. This is older than 8 years, this corresponds to the first SpaceX tests …. I don’t see that level of historical detail, but Wikipedia lists a milestone of a recovered falcon 9 after launch to orbit. Hondas technology is somewhere over 15 years old …. And the article doesn’t say whether it’s comparable size or power, so no.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I doubt that. Spacex is miles ahead of the rest and they have bigger plans.

Sure they would rather have a monopoly on cheap rockets for as long as possible but they have always known people would be trying to catch them up

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 days ago

Yes, but Honda also builds nice things. They're not the neighbors you want moving in next door if your business is making reliable and precise things cheaply.

Maybe it doesn't matter because SpaceX just lies on all their bids anyways

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

I don’t believe they have even hit space yet, the test was only from 1000 ft.

Still, cool as hell.

Wait. This is just more commodification of space.

Fuck that. And I will be against it until we figure out our fucking shit down here on the ground.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Honda landing rockets, VW getting fully automated vans to drive safely on roads, xAI burning through 1b monthly. Not a good time to be a musk, I guess.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

He has so much money he could lose a billion dollars every month and still have billions left in 2055.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Do you have a link for the vw cars? Can't seem to find anything concrete

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 days ago

About time. Took the market long enough. Bloody hell, it's like capitalism literally handed Musk this business on a golden platter.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I love that space travel is becoming so democratized now.

It shouldn’t just be governments, it shouldn’t just be private companies, it should be anyone with the wherewithal to figure the technology out.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

If your idea of 'democratized' is 'now giant megacorps have comparable capital and assets to entire nation states'...

You have a very, very silly understanding of democracy.

Please explain to me how a giant mega corp is... democratic in nature.

You are describing cyberpunk style, hypercorporate techno-feudalism as democracy.

Democracy is one person, one vote.

Corporate governance structures can basically be boiled down to: one dollar, one vote, ie, oligarchy.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yeah. Most of humanity has been propagandised into believing that corporations, which are run like dictatorships where < 1% are the majority shareholders who control the operation, are actually equivalent to "freedom" and "democracy".

Clown world.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Is always going to take a massive amount of resources to get to space.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago (3 children)

But the question is – why?

In the end, it's a huge investment of resources; you can't cheat physics. There is a theoretical floor (and a much higher practical floor) for what you need to get out of Earth's orbit. And frankly, there isn't that much to do for you in space as a layperson (not talking about actual astronauts who are rather scientists) except flex on other people.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago (3 children)

For what it's worth; the technology developed for space travel over the years has led to the development of many common everyday items. I agree that space travel itself might not be the best investment but I can appreciate how it pushes the envelope for new tech.

Here's infograph from nasa website but things like scratch proof lenses, hand vacuums, jaws of life, LED lights, etc..

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/20-inventions-we-wouldnt-have-without-space-travel/

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago (2 children)

frankly, there isn't that much to do for you in space as a layperson

That you can think of. That doesn't mean it isn't worth exploring. Plenty of backyard scientists do some crazy innovation.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

But the question is – why?

My honest belief is that somehow, spaceflight is good for the people in the US because it creates jobs:

Think of how the Space Race of the 1960s brought jobs all across America. On top of that, it inspired a generation of scientists.

Both are valuable for a society, especially for the US, where these kinds of jobs are especially desirable.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 days ago

This is the best news I’ve heard all day. Go Honda! Fuck Musk!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I like Honda, you can drive those cars into the ground, they just keep going.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Now if they can pull that off with a rocket...

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Just make sure to point it the other way, first.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

Annnnnnnnnnnnd everyone else just been replaced.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago

Honda is the complete opposite of Leon Hitler and his Space X BS.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago
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