
SAPPORO, Japan -- Rocket startup Interstellar Technologies will attempt to launch a robotic payload into space and recover when it falls back to earth this summer, in hopes of becoming the first privately owned Japanese company to do so successfully.
"This challenge is extremely meaningful," Interstellar founder Takafumi Horie told reporters on Tuesday. "There are many things we are developing for the first time. We hope to ensure certainty and make the launch a success."