ISTANBUL

Honda Motor on Tuesday successfully launched and landed a small reusable rocket, making it Japan's first private company to achieve this milestone, Nikkei Asia reported.

The experimental rocket took off from Honda’s research facility in the northernmost Hokkaido prefecture, reached a height of 300 meters (984 feet), and landed within 37 centimeters (14.6 inches) of the designated target, surpassing their original goal of 5 meters (16.4 feet).

Measuring 6.3 meters (20.7 feet) in length, 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) in diameter, and weighing 900 kilograms (1,984 pounds) without fuel, the rocket represents Honda’s ambitions to eventually deploy satellites for communication and earth observation purposes.

The company plans to conduct a suborbital flight by 2029.

Honda formed a space development team in 2019 and is currently in the research phase, with plans to enter the rocket launch market in the future. It intends to reduce operating costs by using reusable rockets.