Toyota: Rover for four astronauts
CLEAN ON THE MOON Toyota Motor Corporation and the Japanese space agency Jaxa have started their research and development work on a manned space vehicle powered by fuel cells. The automotive group and the space agency have been working on corresponding rover studies since May 2018: the first models, which are also designed for automated driving, show vehicles in which up to four astronauts can temporarily [...]
The automotive group and the space agency have been working on corresponding rover studies since May 2018: the first models, which are also designed for automated driving, show vehicles in which up to four astronauts can temporarily live without spacesuits. The drive should enable ranges of more than 10,000 kilometers.
Driving on the surface of the moon
In the first year of the project, which will initially run until the end of the 2021 financial year, the technological requirements for driving on the lunar surface will be defined. In addition, precise specifications will be drawn up for a rover prototype, which will initially be based on a production vehicle.
Model ready for series production to start in 2029
On July 1, 2019, Toyota founded the Lunar Exploration Mobility Works for this purpose, whose department is to be expanded to around 30 members by the end of the year. In the coming year, an initial prototype and certain technological elements are to be built and subjected to various tests. After further tests, improvements and the development of production-ready models, the aim is to launch a manned space mission perhaps as early as 2029.
