Long known for its creativity in robotics and cars, Honda has now ventured boldly into a totally other field: space. The company’s first public milestone in aerospace research came recently from a successful launch and landing of an experimental reusable rocket.

The launch took place at a Honda test site in Taiki Town, a peaceful part of Hokkaido, Japan. Thanks to alliances between the private sector and national agencies like JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Taiki, although far-off, is starting to play a major role in Japanese space scene. The area has been dubbed a “space town,” and now Honda has essentially added gasoline to that moniker.

Rising to an elevation of 890 feet, the almost 21-foot-tall rocket weighing more than 2,800 pounds descended back to earth. The flight took 56.6 seconds, and the landing was exact, just 37 centimeters from the target point. It landed on four retractable legs, which also had supported it during takeoff. Given that it was Honda’s first public presentation of such technology, the objective was brief but quite successful.

Not only does the performance count, but also the method of accomplishment makes this noteworthy. Honda did not start its rocket program from ground up. Rather, it combined technologies from its robotics and automated driving divisions, the same systems that enable self-driving cars negotiate roadways and robots preserve motion and balance. Designed to manage the challenging dynamics of rocket flight, this includes sophisticated sensors, control software, and real-time processing.

Honda’s pragmatic, systems-based approach to innovation is reflected in this reusing of current technology. It also demonstrates how the business is keeping ahead of trends whereby mobility and aircraft are progressively overlapping. Though it is building the foundation with clear intention, Honda is not yet aiming to enter the commercial launch race.

Although this test lacked an orbital flight or satellite deployment, Honda has clearly indicated that suborbital launches by 2029 will be their future aim. This entails transcending the atmosphere of Earth roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) up into the brink of space. Though not long enough to remain in orbit, suborbital flights provide a vital proving ground for technologies eventually driving more sophisticated missions.

The project is still in basic research mode right now. Though Honda has not stated any intentions to commercialize its rocket system, the logic behind its expenditure is clear-cut. Space is becoming more and more relevant for business as the globe depends more on satellite-based infrastructure for data, connectivity, and logistics. Should Honda be able to introduce or oversee its own systems going forward, it will improve its ecosystem of smart cars, autonomous technologies, and worldwide services.

Taiki Town also has particular significance in all this. For experimental launches, its remote location with little air traffic makes sense. Its development as a space development center fits Japan’s larger objective of increasing private-sector involvement in space — and Honda’s success just serves to confirm that direction.

Neither did the test carry cargo nor astronauts nor was it broadcast to millions. Still, it was a major statement. Honda has shown that it can precisely and with intention enter new sectors. The rocket shot. It dropped. And it accomplished this with instruments meant for Earth rather than for space.

This is just starting. Whether Honda chooses to launch full-scale satellites, develop its own satellites, or just apply this knowledge to improve its automotive technologies, the company has made one clear point: its future goes much beyond the wheel. And right now it’s pointed upward.