TOKYO -- Japan's space agency will develop a reusable rocket that can carry payloads into orbit on two consecutive days, aiming to cut the costs of space transport, the need for which continues to grow.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, plans to build a rocket that can carry observation equipment into space, return to Earth, and be ready for launch again the next day. JAXA aims to start test-launching and landing the roughly 7-meter rocket as early as the spring of 2019, and introduce it for regular operations in the 2020s.
