Honda Unexpectedly Enters the Space Race With First Successful Rocket Launch
Honda Unexpectedly Enters the Space Race With First Successful Rocket Launch
The surprise announcement marks a significant milestone toward the Japanese car manufacturer's goal of achieving suborbital spaceflight by 2029.
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6.3 meter rocket demonstrator went up 271m and landed. I'm guessing they're trying to copy the New Sheppard design for suborbital recreational hops
I really hope they have grander ambitions than New Sheppard. There isn't really anything wrong with it, I just don't see much of a point to it.
Another alternative that had no intent of turning into a rocket was the Masten/Astrobotic Xodiac. It was a hopper that kept hopping to test lunar lander hardware and software.
Same here. Let's hope they aim for a light orbital rocket that can be mass manufactured and reused, for example, or at least a Falcon type rocket that also had a hopper test vehicle initially
Edit: Reading Honda's own post about the launch they seem to be implying that they want to develop a vehicle that can achieve orbit, but also to use it for transportation purposes?
It's too early to make assumptions, but they do clearly state that they are aiming for something that can reach 100km in altitude in a vertical fashion. They also say they hope to achieve suborbital flights by 2029.
I'm guessing they're trying to copy the New Sheppard
I'm guessing they're trying to copy Grasshopper/F9R, which was a stepping stone to the Falcon 9.