TOYOTA COLLABORATE WITH JAPANESE TO CREATE SELF-DRIVING LUNAR ROVER
JAPANESE FIRM’S VEHICLE WOULD ALLOW ASTRONAUTS TO TRAVEL ON MOPON WITHOUT USING A SPACE SUITS.
Toyota has embark on building a self-driving lunar rover that will make astronauts to travel on the surface of the moon without space suits, as Japan joined the race of international interest in lunar exploration.
The Japanese carmaker and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA] asserted that they hope the vehicle will be included in a mission to the moon between 2029 and 2034, reported by Kyodo news agency.
This six-wheeled rover, is still under conceptual stage. According to Toyota, it will be powered by fuel cell and will be able to accommodate two people or four people in an emergency and can go on for several weeks at a time, it is added that this vehicle will have a cruising range of more than 6,200 miles (10,000km).
Toyota’s executive vice-president, Shigeki Terashi in an interview said, he as an engineer, it is a greater joy to participate in such a lunar project by way of Toyota’s car-making. He added that he’s filled with excitement.
The president of the space agency’s, Hiroshi Yamakawa, asserted that: Having Toyota join the challenge of international space exploration greatly increase their courage. He further that manned rovers with pressurized cabins are an element that will play an important role in fully fledged exploration and use of lunar surface.”
Japan is one of many countries that are investing heavily in making 239,000-mile journey from earth to the lunar surface.
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China recently became the first nation to land an unmanned probe on the far side of the moon, and last month Israel began its maiden mission to the moon with the launch of the privately funded Beresheet spacecraft. India is expected to launch its own lunar rover later this year.
The United state is the first country to land human on the moon half a century ago, now plans to launch a mini-outpost into lunar orbit to act as a base for manned missions to the moon and, eventually, Mars.
