Tokyo Startup To Develop Reusable Rocket With U.S. Partner

Tokyo-based startup Innovative Space Carrier Inc. (ISCI) will develop a reusable satellite launch rocket in partnership with a US rocket engine maker, aiming for commercial use by around 2030, Kyodo News reported.

Reusable rockets, capable of multiple launches, can lower costs. I Photo: ASCA Inc. 

The ASCA-1 rocket will be powered by an engine developed by U.S. partner Ursa Major Technologies Inc. and built under what ISCI calls Japan's first development project for a reusable launch vehicle.

Reusable rockets, capable of multiple launches, can lower costs.

For the Japanese startup, satellite launch services are a first step in its plan to operate a spacecraft by the 2040s capable of transporting around 50 people to an altitude of 400 kilometers.

"The partnership marks the beginning of our business operations, which we aim to launch swiftly," Innovative Space Carrier chief executive Kojiro Hatada said at a press conference in Tokyo in April.

The Japanese company is joining the global race to improve the efficiency of space launches through reusable rockets, a move that has been led by companies such as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, Mainichi Japan also reported.