534
submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top new old
[-] [email protected] 93 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Unironically, yes.

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

[-] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

I didn't know Honda made sex toys.

[-] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

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

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 69 points 1 month ago

Just wait until they add VTEC to it

[-] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

Was that a sonic boom? Nah, rev limiter!

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

The aftermarket spoiler market for these will be huge.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 51 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 46 points 1 month ago

This must terrify Musk and his SpaceX

It pleases me.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

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

[-] [email protected] 15 points 1 month 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

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 month 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.

load more comments (16 replies)
[-] [email protected] 34 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago
[-] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Maybe they're gonna go full Yamaha.

Can't wait to play a Honda Tenor Saxophone.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] [email protected] 30 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

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.

[-] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago

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.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago

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

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (10 replies)
[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

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

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago
[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Annnnnnnnnnnnd everyone else just been replaced.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

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

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago
[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Put some v-tec in it and it might actually works better.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2025
534 points (99.6% liked)

World News

48938 readers
2662 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS