“Unexpectedly” sounds like they were doing something else and suddenly they were airborne.
Well shit, if that’s all it takes, I’ve unexpectedly entered the space race while waterskiing a time or two.
I exited the space race very shortly thereafter.
Someone made a mistake when chipping their Civic.
Aim for the moon, if you miss…
I love the wording of this headline as it kinda sounds like they oopsied a rocket into space, like it was a Sid & Marty Krofft tv show from the 70s.
And found the show I was thinking of: Far Out Space Nuts https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072499/
On the first fucking try to. Wow. Honda for the win.
6.3 meter rocket demonstrator went up 271m and landed. I’m guessing they’re trying to copy the New Sheppard design for suborbital recreational hops
I’m guessing they’re trying to copy the New Sheppard
I’m guessing they’re trying to copy Grasshopper/F9R, which was a stepping stone to the Falcon 9.
I really hope they have grander ambitions than New Sheppard. There isn’t really anything wrong with it, I just don’t see much of a point to it.
Another alternative that had no intent of turning into a rocket was the Masten/Astrobotic Xodiac. It was a hopper that kept hopping to test lunar lander hardware and software.
Same here. Let’s hope they aim for a light orbital rocket that can be mass manufactured and reused, for example, or at least a Falcon type rocket that also had a hopper test vehicle initially
Edit: Reading Honda’s own post about the launch they seem to be implying that they want to develop a vehicle that can achieve orbit, but also to use it for transportation purposes?
It’s too early to make assumptions, but they do clearly state that they are aiming for something that can reach 100km in altitude in a vertical fashion. They also say they hope to achieve suborbital flights by 2029.
I like Honda small motors. They power my lawn mower, chainsaw, Fit, and personal spacecraft.
getting a Honda Civic up there to sideswipe somebody’s satellite would be elegant poetry
