Japan’s space agency JAXA test flies and vertically lands a prototype first stage
Japan’s space agency JAXA today successfully completed a 40-second vertical take-off and landing of a small scale prototype Grasshopper first stage.
At its Noshiro testing center in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, the RV-X test rocket slowly landed after rising about 11 meters and moving horizontally while maintaining a vertical position during its 40-second flight. JAXA found no major issues with the test rocket after the landing.
…The 7.3-meter-long, 1.8-meter-diameter test rocket, which uses liquid hydrogen fuel, is a prototype of the reusable first stage of future large rockets. [emphasis mine]
This is a typical government test program, like many at NASA. Private companies in general have moved away from the use of hydrogen as a fuel because of the difficulty of obtaining and managing it, moving instead to methane. Thus, this project is not tied to any specific financial goals, and will likely dies stillborn once it is complete.
It also illustrates how far behind Japan has fallen when compared to China. China is building multiple reusable rockets, has tested three with one landing successfully. Japan at present is struggling to get any of its three government and one private rockets off the ground.
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Why not just throw the money at Honda (whose car division is likely suffering re:China exports) on a milestone basis.
As you say, JAXA is more like ESA than NASA.
With this, and the China catch, Japan may be waking up.
Waking up, maybe. Catching up, not so much.