Japan Experimental Reusable Rocket Completes First Successful Test Flight

Tokyo - July 12, 2026: Japan's space agency, JAXA, announced Saturday that its experimental reusable rocket successfully completed its first test flight, taking off and landing safely in a milestone the country hopes will help it compete with SpaceX's dominance in cost-effective launch technology.

How the test flight unfolded

The rocket, known as the Reusable Vehicle eXperiment (RV-X), lifted off from JAXA's Noshiro Testing Center in northeastern Japan, rising approximately 11 meters (36 feet) and moving horizontally about 16 meters (52 feet) while maintaining an upright position before touching down. The entire flight lasted under a minute, roughly 40 seconds according to JAXA, and was livestreamed by NVS, a group of space enthusiasts.

“I feel we have put a great deal of time and effort into this, and now that the prototype has taken off and landed without problem, I must say I feel a great sense of relief,” said Takashi Ito, JAXA's reusable rocket project manager, who led the launch. Ito added that the agency will fully review the flight data, but said he is confident it “obtained very useful data.”

About the rocket

The RV-X is being co-developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It measures 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) in diameter and 7.3 meters (23.9 feet) long, and is fitted with an engine built for enhanced durability alongside four shock-absorbing landing legs. That engine has already withstood 165 combustion tests during development.

Why this matters

Most rockets today are single-use, with components either falling into the sea, burning up in the atmosphere, or becoming orbital debris. Reusable rocket technology, pioneered commercially by SpaceX, allows for cheaper and more frequent launches by recovering and reflying the same hardware. Japan currently relies on its single-use H3 rocket, a more cost-effective successor to the H-2A series, but officials say further cost reductions are still needed to compete globally. The Japanese government considers a stable, commercially competitive launch capability essential to both its space program and national security.

What's next

JAXA, which is also jointly developing reusable rocket technology with France and Germany, plans to fly the RV-X to a higher altitude of about 100 meters (218 feet) in upcoming test flights, building incrementally toward more complex maneuvers.