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The Japanese space agency announced on Saturday that its prototype reusable rocket, the RV-X, successfully executed its initial lift-off and landing test in Akita Prefecture, representing progress in developing cost-saving technology dominated by SpaceX.
Reusable rockets are designed to return to Earth intact so they can fly multiple missions, significantly lowering the financial cost of space travel.
The experimental vehicle, which measures around 7.3 meters (24 feet) in length and about 1.8 meters in diameter, features four landing legs.
It was launched from the JAXA, the official national aerospace agency of Japan, test site in Noshiro, Akita region, and reached a maximum height of around 11 meters while moving approximately 16 meters horizontally before performing a successful vertical landing.
The entire flight lasted about 40 seconds, according to JAXA. "The flight test went well. I feel relieved," JAXA project manager Takashi Ito, who led the launch, told reporters in an online press conference.
Ito said the agency will review data to fully determine the success of the test, but he is "confident" that it "obtained very useful data."
Most rockets are designed for single use, with components falling into the sea, burning up in the atmosphere or remaining in orbit as debris. The first launch stage is considered the most expensive component. But the deployment of partially reusable rockets would slash launch costs. SpaceX has been operating its reusable Falcon 9 rocket since 2017.
China, however, achieved its first successful reusable rocket landing on Friday, a breakthrough that could challenge US dominance in the field.
According to an article by Japan today, in June last year, Honda R&D Co., a subsidiary of automaker Honda Motor Co., became the first Japanese company to successfully launch and land a reusable rocket, marking the first such test by Japan's private sector.
Japan is racing to boost the international competitiveness of the country's rocket industry. Given that the H3 rocket, the country's mainstay space vehicle, can only be used once, Japan has been seeking to develop reusable technology to increase satellite launches while reducing costs.
Its flagship H3 rocket was launched successfully in June, months after a previous mission to put a satellite into orbit ended in failure.
JAXA stated that it will use the findings from Saturday's test to guide the design of its Callisto reusable vehicle, which is being jointly developed with France and Germany.
A flight test of the Callisto vehicle, which is equipped with the same engine as the RV-X, is scheduled before next April. That upcoming mission aims to attempt a vertical landing from a significantly greater height than Saturday's low-altitude test.
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