TOKYO — Japan's experimental reusable rocket took off and safely landed in a first test flight Saturday as the country seeks to achieve the technology key to cut launch costs and compete in the global space market dominated by SpaceX.

Japan flew and landed the RV-X in its first experimental reusable rocket test. The brief success advances efforts to cut launch costs and sharpen national space competitiveness.

Japan’s flagship H3 rocket blasted off from Kagoshima Prefecture on June 12, placed artificial satellites into their planned orbits and helped to quickly restore confidence in the nation’s space program.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Japan successfully launched an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, on June 12, 2026.The rocket lifted off from the spaceport on Tanegashima Island ...

JAXA’s next-generation H3 rocket successfully carried six satellites into orbit, strengthening Japan’s ambitions in the global space industry.