From Civics to spaceflight, Honda’s rocket landed with pinpoint accuracy on its first try

Watch out, SpaceX; Honda’s rocket just joined the space race, and the company best known for making Civics absolutely stuck the landing.

In a test that feels more sci-fi than sedan, Japan’s second-largest carmaker successfully launched and landed a reusable rocket with pinpoint precision on its very first attempt.

The feat marks a bold new chapter for a brand better known for making engines that power everything from lawnmowers to jets.

Apparently, after decades of perfecting Civics, Honda’s now taking to the skies.

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Honda’s rocket weighs roughly the same as a Honda Civic

The launch took place at Honda’s test facility in Taiki Town, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.

Honda’s 21-foot-tall experimental rocket blasted off and soared nearly 890 feet into the sky, or about the height of a downtown skyscraper.

The compact rocket, weighing around 2,800 pounds (roughly the same as a Honda Civic), took off and touched down on four retractable legs.

While the launch itself was already pretty neat, the most impressive part is that the rocket gently landed just 15 inches from where it took off.

That’s the kind of accuracy even SpaceX would applaud, having landed a rocket on a boat like it’s no big deal.

Honda’s space ambitions are being driven by its in-house R&D division, which is now transforming its Hokkaido facility into what the company calls a budding ‘space town.’

The carmaker is working alongside Japan’s space agency, JAXA, to leverage technologies such as automated driving systems and robotics to fine-tune rocket stability, navigation, and precision landings.

It’s pretty much textbook Honda engineering; take something complex, make it reliable, then make it look effortless.

The next big milestone isn’t until 2029

But before anyone starts booking a seat on Honda’s rocket, the company admits it’s still in the early stages.

The next big milestone, which is a suborbital launch by 2029, is still a few years away.

Suborbital flights don’t reach orbit, but do go more than 62 miles above Earth, which is enough to earn your astronaut wings.

In the meantime, Honda’s involvement in the space race doesn’t end here.

The Japanese carmaker is also teaming up with Aerospace company Astrobotic Technology to bring regenerative fuel cells to Moon power systems.

This has the potential to power future human settlements on the Moon, which is pretty ambitious.

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