How A Reusable Hopper Helped Honda Break Into Space Rocketry

Carmakers like Honda are known for pushing boundaries and encouraging employees to think outside the box — its innovative concept cars range from EV sports cars to open-air vehicles. Honda has made a few unexpected products over the years, but has now ventured beyond the usual cars, motorcycles, and boats by building a rocket. On June 17, 2025, Honda successfully launched a reusable rocket it developed completely in-house. The 20.6-foot-long, 2,892-pound rocket reached an altitude of nearly 300 meters — or 984 feet — and flew for 56 seconds, but Honda has bigger plans when it comes to space exploration. 

Honda's June 2025 test occurred at its facility in Taiki Town, located in the Hiroo District of Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan. Taiki Town has become a destination for aviation and space tests for a wide range of aerospace programs, businesses, and universities. This is where Honda has been attempting a successful launch of its reusable launch vehicle (RLV) since 2024. Unlike most launch vehicles, a reusable rocket can be used multiple times since it launches and lands in a vertical position. 

The successful launch excited the space community, who were surprised to see Honda enter the rocket game — however, Honda is not new to the skies and has built a jet in the past. But for Honda, this is just the beginning. Honda first announced that it was going to start researching and developing space technologies in 2021 with the goal of "enabling people to transcend the constraints of time, place, or ability," to quote its press release celebrating the successful launch. The reusable rocket is Honda's latest push towards this dream. 

Honda believes that some of its previous developments, such as engines and control systems, can lead to innovations in the rocket field, joining other Japanese rocket firms that have emerged in the past few years, like Interstellar Technologies, Innovative Space Carrier, and Space One. "We believe that rocket research is a meaningful endeavor that leverages Honda's technological strengths," said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. "Honda will continue to take on new challenges [...] to offer our customers various services and value through our products, while addressing environmental and safety issues." 

Honda's focus is on satellite launch rockets, which are vehicles fitted with propellants that allow them to leave Earth's atmosphere before releasing a satellite. Honda believes that demand for satellite launch rockets will increase in the next few years, with more and more satellites required for the vast amounts of data we consume. 

Honda's reusable rockets, which are part of the company's goal of sustainable transportation, are still in the research phase. However, the successful test has the company hopeful that more progress will eventually lead to a suborbital launch by 2029. A suborbital launch refers to a rocket that doesn't circle the planet, which means it can travel at much slower speeds. A suborbital rocket, for example, would only need to hit 3,700 mph to reach a height of 125 miles above Earth before it shuts off and comes back down to Earth. Honda has not yet decided whether it will commercialize its rocket technology in the future.