Tokyo Startup to Develop Reusable Rocket with Ursa Major

TOKYO, May 20 (Kyodo) - Tokyo-based startup Innovative Space Carrier Inc. will develop a reusable satellite launch rocket in partnership with a U.S rocket engine maker, aiming for commercial use by around 2030.

The ASCA-1 rocket will be powered by an engine developed by U.S. 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 kilometers.

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