The carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation has unveiled its first space technology concept, a lunar rover concept that will allow the crew to navigate the lunar surface without a spacesuit.
In recent years, Japan has shown an increasing interest in lunar exploration and clearly intends to join the next stage of the "lunar race". In 2007-2009, the Kaguya spacecraft flew, which studied the Moon from orbit. In 2021, it is planned to land on the lunar surface of the SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) apparatus. Further plans include the creation of an autonomous base on the Moon, where robots will work. And then Japan expects to organize a manned flight to the moon. According to the Kyodo agency, such an expedition is now planned for 2029 - 2034. It is also assumed that, together with NASA, Japan will take part in the project to create a circumlunar station Deep Space Gateway, which is supposed to be launched into the orbit of the moon in 2024-2026.
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota expect the company's proposed lunar rover to be ready on time and will be able to be used during a manned expedition.
The six-wheeled lunar rover will have to have a cruising range of more than ten thousand kilometers. Its crew will consist of two people, but in an emergency, it will be able to transport four cosmonauts.
JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa says: “It is a great confidence that Toyota will join us in the space exploration challenge. Manned lunar rovers with pressurized cabins are an element that will play an important role in the full-scale exploration and development of the lunar surface."