Tokyo startup to develop reusable rocket

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

It was reported by Kyodo News.

The ASCA-1 rocket will be powered by an engine developed by US partner Ursa Major Technologies Inc. and built under what Innovative Space Carrier 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 kilometres.