🚀 Japan tests reusable rocket RV-X

On July 11, Japan's space agency JAXA performed the first hop test of the reusable rocket RV-X at Noshiro. It rose 11 meters, moved 16 meters sideways, stayed stable, and landed softly in under a minute.

RV-X is 7.3 meters tall with a reinforced engine and four landing legs, developed with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It aims to create a reusable successor to Japan's single-use H3 rocket to reduce launch costs.

The engine passed 165 static tests. Future tests will reach about 100 meters. This follows China’s recent recovery of a Long March 10B booster on a sea platform, showing faster progress in reusable rockets.

📊@tech