Honda is one of the world’s most well-known automakers, known for its cars and motorcycles. Now, it’s entering the space industry. On Wednesday, the company revealed that it successfully launched and landed a new rocket built by its research and development arm, marking its first successful attempt at taking to space. It wasn’t some intercontinental launch, either. It happened right at Honda’s own facility in Taiki Town, Japan, a city that’s fast becoming one of the nation’s most important centers for space development. The rocket soared to 890 feet in the air before returning to Earth and landing 37 centimeters away from its target. Coincidence? Not likely. It’s a product of precise engineering.

The rocket used in the test was a 20-foot-tall machine that weighed more than 2,800 pounds at launch. Its brief but critical 56.6-second journey marked the vehicle’s first ever ascent into the air, as well as its first controlled landing. Thanks to the set of retractable landing legs that carried it aloft, it returned to the ground softly and precisely where it was supposed to.

It might not seem like a technology Honda should be known for, especially given its core business. But it’s also not a first. Instead, the company appears to be leveraging the knowledge it’s developed in other industries, including automotive transportation. Its robot controls and computerized systems were crucial in controlling the launch and landing of this rocket, for example, just as the company might use them to operate a car on a flat road.

That’s not all. While this new rocket might seem random, it’s not. Honda first revealed plans to explore space last year but kept the bulk of its development efforts largely under wraps. After years of silent development, this successful test finally reveals the first real signs of the progress it’s been making behind the scenes.

Rather than building a new ecosystem, the company is using technologies developed in other sectors. Its autonomous driving programs, for example, play a key role in its rocket program. The precise control needed to operate self-driving cars can now be used to control vertical lift-off, flight stability, and pinpoint landing accuracy.

It’s a cross-industry development that makes sense — and it seems to be working.

This rocket isn’t just a showcase of technological prowess. Honda is positioning itself for a future where space-based hardware and infrastructure are as integral to business as they are on the ground. Whether it’s data, communication, or navigation, the importance of going above will only continue to rise.

This rocket isn’t meant to simply impress. The company sees the opportunity to build its own small-scale launch systems to help the growing demand for space launches — one that could ultimately feed into its automotive, robotics, and communications operations.

The rocket is still in the research and development phase, but the successful test of this week suggests the program is far from just the early days. Honda sees the potential to build its own small-scale launch systems to help the growing demand for satellite launches — one that could link into its automotive, robotics, and communications operations.

Honda is setting its sights on reaching suborbital space by 2029. That means a mission that goes beyond 62 miles (or 100 kilometers) above sea level, which most commonly marks the boundary of space. They won’t stay in orbit, but they’ll break through the earth’s atmosphere — which is a technological challenge of its own.

The suborbital flight would prove Honda has developed the launch, control, and recovery systems necessary to go to greater heights. But it would also require much more than the capability to break through the earth’s atmosphere. It would mean the ability to launch new launch vehicles, control and guide them to space, and potentially create new payloads.

That next step is far from certain. Honda isn’t ready to bet on turning its rocket program into a commercial business just yet. But this test flight puts it on a path where that decision may not be too far off.

Taiki Town isn’t just a stage. The area has been hard at work to become one of the country’s leading centers for aerospace development. It’s located in Hokkaido, and it’s already teamed up with multiple private companies and national agencies like JAXA to develop test sites, support structures, and training programs.

With Honda now part of the growing roster of companies testing hardware there, Taiki Town is quickly earning its spot as one of Japan’s most important space development centers.

There’s a long road ahead. Honda is entering a sector dominated by powerhouses like SpaceX and Blue Origin, companies with the resources and experience necessary to deliver a reliable product into space. But what Honda offers is something different: an understanding of manufacturing efficiency, robotics, and mobility technology — sectors that could give it a leg up as it moves ahead.

The test this week wasn’t just a one-off. It was a sign that Honda is ready for a journey beyond Earth’s surface.

And while the rocket may have landed just a few feet away from its target, the company’s space journey is clearly aiming much, much higher.