Japan successfully lands test rocket for future reuse

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 agency will examine data gathered from the flight test.

"We completed the test flight properly and obtained data that we had wanted," JAXA research and development manager Takashi Ito told a press conference. "We're relieved after (the test rocket) properly took off and landed."

The 7.3-meter-long, 1.8-meter-diameter test rocket, which runs on liquid hydrogen fuel, is a prototype of the reusable first stage of future large rockets.

Earlier, JAXA shared a Hayabusa2 photo of asteroid Torifune.