Japan tests reusable RV-X rocket to cut launch costs and boost space ambitions

Tokyo,UPDATED: Jul 11, 2026 08:24 IST

Japan on Saturday carried out the first test flight of its experimental reusable rocket, a move aimed at developing technology that can lower launch costs and strengthen the country’s position in the global space market. The test marks an important step as Japan works to catch up with reusable rocket systems that SpaceX has been using for several years.

The RV-X rocket lifted off, hovered, moved horizontally and then landed safely during a flight that lasted less than a minute at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Noshiro Testing Centre in north-eastern Japan. The test was livestreamed by NVS, a group of space fans, and JAXA is expected to explain the results in an online briefing later on Saturday.

Japan is seeking the technology needed to build a lower-cost successor to its current mainstay, the single-use H3 series. The H3 rocket was designed to be more cost-effective than its predecessor, the H-2A series, which had a near-perfect success record, but it still requires further cost cuts to compete in the global space market.

The flight also came a day after Chinese state media reported that China had achieved its first successful recovery of a rocket’s first stage after liftoff. The Japanese government has said that a stable and commercially competitive transport capability is important for the country’s space programme and national security.

JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been jointly developing the RV-X rocket, which is 1.8 metres in diameter and 7.3 metres long. It is equipped with engines with improved durability and four shock-absorbing landing gear. JAXA, which is also jointly developing reusable rockets with France and Germany, plans future test flights in which the RV-X will reach an altitude of about 100 metres. Saturday’s test, in which the rocket lifted off, manoeuvred and landed safely, was an early step in that wider effort.

With PTI Inputs

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