Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, so let's jump into this Honda, right you think
cars definitely, motorcycles maybe like power equipment.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Usual stuff, Yeah, generators maybe exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
But well, what if I told you they just did
something pretty extraordinary way way above the road.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Oh you mean the rocket test?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Yeah, in space? Essentially, it's actually.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
A huge deal. This isn't just you know, some little
experiment on the side. Yeah, no, this is genuinely major milestone,
especially for Japan's private space sector, which is really growing.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Okay, break it down. What actually happened?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
So June seventeenth this year, Honda launched a prototype rocket.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Launched it, yeah, and landed it right, which is maybe
even more impressive.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Exactly that precision landing is key. It happened at their
own place up in Taikey, Hokkaido.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Ah, right, Japan's space town. They call it mm HM.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
And the critical part was the flight style vertical takeoff
and then vertical landing VTOL.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
So how they do what are the numbers?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Pretty impressive? Actually, the rocket itself if it's about six
point three.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Meters tall, okay, like two stories high roughly.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, and maybe nine hundred kilograms dry weight like a
small car. It went up two hundred and seventy one
point four meters so nearly nine hundred feet wow, and
the landing gets a thirty seven centimeters off the target mark.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Thirty seven centimeters that's what fourteen inches just about.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, and under a minute too. The whole flight was
like fifty six seconds.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
That's incredible precision from Honda, it really is.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
It wasn't just for show, you know, it was all
about control, engineering, validation, gathering data, super controlled test.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
So that kind of precision in well rockets. Yeah, what
does that signal about Honda? Are they like shifting gears entirely?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
It definitely tells you they're thinking much bigger than just
wheels on the ground. This whole space thing is part
of a broader strategy. They're diversifying using that core engineering skill.
You know, we're seeing it in robotics, in electric aviation, ah.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Right, their EF you Tall project too.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Exactly, and now reusable rockets. It's like they're flexing their
technical muscles in completely new areas.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
And is this just Honda going rogue or does it
fit into like Japan's national plans?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Well, it fits perfectly. They're working with JXA, Japan Space
Agency and while they haven't said yes, we're starting a
commercial launch service tomorrow. The long term aim is there
a suborbital flight by twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Nine, suborbital by twenty twenty nine. Wow. And the reusability
part is important, isn't.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
It absolutely critical? That's the game changer for costs. If
you could reuse the rocket, launch costs plummet, it makes
space access much more well, accessible, affordable, frequent, that's the dream.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
So Honda's making headlines, but they're not alone. In Japan's
private space.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Launch is already okay, and innovative space carrier is. They're
also working on VTOL tests.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So Honda is joining a trend, a pretty powerful one.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
What's driving all this activity? Is there like a government
push or big money involved both?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Really, the Japanese government has set this really ambitious target.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
They want to double the space industry's value, bubble it to.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
What to about eight trillion yen, which is roughly what
fifty five billion US dollars. Yeah, by the early twenty thirties.
That's huge, it is, and it's backed by real investment,
public private funds. Even other big names like Toyota are
getting involved in space ventures. It's a serious national effort.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So wrapping this up, Honda, nailing this rocket test isn't
just cool engineering.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
It says something bigger about Japan, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
It really does. It signals they're becoming a much more
significant player in the global space race, moving fast. It
shows real capability and ambition.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Okay, So final thought for you listening. What does this
mean when a brand, you know, for one thing like cars,
suddenly shows up doing something completely different like launching rockets?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, think about that. How does it challenge what we
expect from companies and what other kinds of unexpected breakthroughs
might we see When established players push way beyond their
usual boundaries. It kind of opens up possibilities, doesn't it.