Recently I’ve been in contact with a Japanese Nagoya-based private space venture. They have two really distinguishing characteristics. The first is the mechanism that they are developing. Their concept is a reusable spacecraft that relies on a dual jet/rocket combustion method, allowing the spacecraft to takeoff and land like an ordinary plane and eliminate the need for a launcher with multiple engines. The concept is certainly interesting and if accomplished could revolutionize the private spaceflight game. Perhaps even more interesting though is their second distinguishing characteristic.  Compared to their American and Chinese counterparts their project seems relatively grassroots. The Elon Musk-headed SpaceX and the Jeff Bezos-headed Blue Orbit besides having billions of dollars of backing, have that superstar (pun-intended) energy that comes with the celebrity status of their respective figureheads. Comparatively speaking this company has a characteristically Japanese workmanship aura to it. The endeavor began as a dream in a young kid’s adventures in his father’s workshop. The actual progress on the technology began in that same workshop. If you replaced the ultimate aim of private spaceflight with some kind of handicraft this story might still make sense. I’m looking forward to putting together a promotional video for them.