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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[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 24 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] iridebikes@lemmy.world 7 points 2 hours ago (2 children)
[–] meep_launcher@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 hours ago

Maybe they're gonna go full Yamaha.

Can't wait to play a Honda Tenor Saxophone.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world -1 points 2 hours ago

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.

[–] Vari@lemm.ee 3 points 1 hour ago
[–] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 5 points 2 hours ago

Annnnnnnnnnnnd everyone else just been replaced.

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 26 points 7 hours ago

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

[–] BigDaddySlim@lemmy.world 64 points 10 hours ago (3 children)

Just wait until they add VTEC to it

[–] postmateDumbass@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

The aftermarket spoiler market for these will be huge.

[–] Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 hour ago

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

[–] projectsquared@lemmy.world 14 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Was that a sonic boom? Nah, rev limiter!

[–] ProfessorProteus@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Could have been the blowoff valve for the turbo! Or a shitty muffler delete on a nearby Infiniti

[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 7 points 8 hours ago

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

[–] Inaminate_Carbon_Rod@lemmy.world 45 points 10 hours ago (17 children)

This must terrify Musk and his SpaceX

It pleases me.

[–] Crikeste@lemm.ee 2 points 1 hour 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.

[–] Wanderer@lemm.ee 5 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours 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

[–] Lasherz12@lemmy.world 13 points 3 hours 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

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[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 87 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

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

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 3 points 1 hour ago

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

[–] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 26 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

Unironically, yes.

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

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

I didn't know Honda made sex toys.

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 12 points 9 hours ago

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

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[–] jagermo@feddit.org 49 points 11 hours 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.

[–] Someone@lemmy.ca 4 points 7 hours ago

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

[–] KumaSudosa@feddit.dk 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] jagermo@feddit.org 4 points 6 hours ago (1 children)
[–] KumaSudosa@feddit.dk 2 points 6 hours ago

Thank you! Hope my German is still good enough to read it

[–] Tiger@sh.itjust.works 10 points 9 hours ago

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

[–] Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world 10 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] unpossum@sh.itjust.works 10 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] Mist101@lemmy.world 7 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] nimisnimi@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 hour ago

Where we are going, we don't need... wheels.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 15 points 12 hours ago (12 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.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 30 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours 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.

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 16 points 10 hours 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.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Uh hey, wanna learn Spanish and Basque proficiently, move to Spain, and try to convince Mondragon to branch out into spaceflight, lol?

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 15 points 10 hours ago (3 children)

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

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[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

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

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