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
About time. Took the market long enough. Bloody hell, it’s like capitalism literally handed Musk this business on a golden platter.
“OK, so, I want a Honda Civic, but for up and down instead of forwards and backwards.”
Technically, orbit is just forward, really, really fast. “Up” is incidental to the process.
Unironically, yes.
If Honda can make a rocket as reliable and cheap as a Civic, relatively, we all win.
I didn’t know Honda made sex toys.
Honda sex toys are reliable and has been married for 100 years
Hitachi could make a reusable rocket, you just gotta wipe the sticky off it between flights
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.
He has so much money he could lose a billion dollars every month and still have billions left in 2055.
Do you have a link for the vw cars? Can’t seem to find anything concrete
German magazine Golem reported it today
Thank you! Hope my German is still good enough to read it
The fuck?
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.
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.
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/
My argument wasn’t against space exploration in general, but rather the democratization of space travel as a commodity; as in as in we have already democratized it so far that the trophy wifes of billionaires can travel to space. I’m unsure of scientific advances that has brought and rather think this made someone money
That’s how airplanes were at first too. Eventually, once enough of the technology and engineering becomes finalized, everyday people can afford it.
With this technology we can use methane or hydrogen powered rockets, using only renewable resources, launch people from one side of the planet to the other in less than an hour.
Is this a good thing for the environment? It’s hard to say right now, it’s probably not great. Since the flights will be so short, maybe it’ll be better than the current air travel.
My original point was also that you’d need a real benefit compared to the currently available options. We did have faster air travel for a time with the Concorde (which looked a lot more like a spaceship than other aircrafts). It went away because it had a lot of downsides for only the advantage of being faster. Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to use it one day just to witness it; but in the end, it doesn’t really matter if your trip takes slightly less time; keep in mind that it usually doesn’t start and end at an airport anyways, and this problem would be even bigger for space travel. So it isn’t really something for traveling on Earth. Which brings me back to the question what it would do for a layperson…
Apart from that, you need to time your departure and arrival with conditions on Earth, so while technically you could shorten that time drastically, you’d probably need to wait some months before you can take the trip.
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.
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.
With the small detail that failures in your backyard are in general much less catastrophic compared to mishaps in space
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.
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.
Is always going to take a massive amount of resources to get to space.
Resources = wealth
I like Honda, you can drive those cars into the ground, they just keep going.
Now if they can pull that off with a rocket…
Just make sure to point it the other way, first.
Where we are going, we don’t need… wheels.
Just wait until they add VTEC to it
Was that a sonic boom? Nah, rev limiter!
Could have been the blowoff valve for the turbo! Or a shitty muffler delete on a nearby Infiniti
I expect we’ll see SpaceX rockets with VTEC stickers trying to masquerade as performance rockets.
The aftermarket spoiler market for these will be huge.
Wait until Hector gets to Harry’s…this shit gonna be lit.
Now that’s a diversification I didn’t see coming. Not bad.
Time to invest in Honda.
Ehh they have an engine problem. I’ve seen analysis that Honda isn’t a car company, they’re an engine company - cars, generators, lawn mowers, pumps, a whole whack of industrial things. They really need to shift to electric motors but even then it’s not a 1 for 1.
Maybe they’re gonna go full Yamaha.
Can’t wait to play a Honda Tenor Saxophone.
This is the best news I’ve heard all day. Go Honda! Fuck Musk!
Honda is the complete opposite of Leon Hitler and his Space X BS.
Annnnnnnnnnnnd everyone else just been replaced.
How is it a surprise? Honda has had this developing and has been building it for years.
Even if you didn’t read the article, the op helpfully included the first few lines, which say that although Honda had said they were studying rocket technology, they made no announcements about this launch until it had already occurred.
I understand that they made no announcement. I don’t understand how building a rocket could be kept secret.
Great first step but the vast majority of the work still needs to be done. There’s a big difference in getting 300m to the air and back and low earth orbit but Honda is an excellent candidate to get it done.
Fuck yeah!
Put some v-tec in it and it might actually works better.
