Honda Announces The Development Of Reusable Rocket Prototype

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 29 October 2021, 12:10 pm

Honda is looking to join the private company-funded space race, and they already have tech to show off.

The automaking giant recently announced the development of their first reusable rocket prototype, which was designed using the company's core technologies, reports ArsTechnica.

(Photo : Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
BARCELONA, CATALONIA, SPAIN - 2021/09/30: The stand of the car manufacturer Honda seen at the Salon del Automobile Barcelona 2021. After two years of suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Automobile Barcelona 2021 contest opens its doors from October 2nd to 10th at the Fira de Barcelona Montjüic venue.

Honda is looking to join the space exploration race as a way of "realizing the dreams and potential" of people worldwide.

There's not a lot of technical details revealed about the rocket. Honda, however, did claim that they made big progress on their design in only two years of active R&D.

Honda's plan for its reusable rocket prototype is linked to constructing their own satellite launch vehicle. It would be powerful enough to send as much as 1 ton of instruments/gear into low Earth orbit.

The company is looking to decide whether it's a "go" or "no go" launch situation for their rocket by 2025 or 2026, as per the original ArsTechnica report.

Honda's plan to join the space race is projected to go until the 2030s, writes Observer. Their roadmap covers an entire decade of research and development of various space exploration technologies, and will cost the automaker roughly $45 billion.

But aside from the reusable rocket, the company is also looking forward to helping develop robots, rovers, and even flying cars.

Their plan, called "Vision 2030," is intended to help Honda create even more avenues in terms of developing related technologies. This, in turn, would open up new revenue streams for the 73-year-old automaker in the near future, writes SpaceNews.com.

Honda Joins A New Type Of Space Race

With Honda's announcement of their reusable rocket prototype, they will be joining a veritable roster of private companies who are making the space exploration race more diversified.

In the past, only government-funded agencies such as NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) led the space exploration industry. Now, the likes of Honda, SpaceX, and Blue Origin are leading the charge, and they're already causing widespread change.

With the entry of these private companies in the space industry, experts are saying they're making space exploration cheaper.

(Photo : Getty Images )

According to a report by CNBC, the presence of private corporations are driving costs down "across the board." Launch costs are way down, which industry experts say will pave the way for other companies to send things into space at the fraction of the cost it used to have.

You Don't Have To Be An Astronaut Anymore

Furthermore, the likes of Honda are also opening up the so-called Last Frontier to non-astronauts.

This is already evident in the past few high-profile missions from SpaceX and Blue Origin, both of which sent all-civilian crews to space recently. Even Blue Origin founder and CEO Jeff Bezos himself was on the mission his company undertook.

These companies are offering people the chance at a journey that was only reserved for the world's best scientists, engineers, and military personnel several decades ago. Now, all you need to have is the will to go--not to mention a very well-stocked bank account and months of training to undergo before launch.

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Written by RJ Pierce