Toyota's Moon Transportation Dubbed Lunar Cruiser
This Toyota-developed rover is quite literally out of this world.
Great Beyond
Toyota has built an awful lot of land-based vehicles and even an entire city over the years, so why not expand those offerings to the great beyond? That's precisely what's happening with this - a manned pressurized rover dubbed "Lunar Cruiser," developed in conjunction with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Photos: Toyota
Familiar Name
JAXA and Toyota previously announced and have been conducting joint research on the manned, pressurized lunar rover that uses fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technologies. The nickname Lunar Cruiser was chosen because of the familiar feeling it offers the people involved in the development and manufacturing process of the vehicle, as well as the familiarity it will provide the general public.
Photos: Toyota
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Paying Homage
The name also obviously pays homage to Toyota's legendary Land Cruiser, which has traveled pretty much to every end of the earth at this point. Toyota expects the same kind of quality, durability, and reliability from its pressurized lunar rover that it gets from its namesake, and it'll need it to traverse the harsh environment of the moon's surface.
Photos: Toyota
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Joint Venture
JAXA and Toyota signed a joint research agreement to work on a manned pressurized lunar rover last year, on June 13, 2019, with an expected launch date in the latter half of the 2020s. Together, they are working to manufacture test parts for the prototype rover. The work involves the use of simulations to confirm power and heat dissipation performance while driving, the manufacture and assessment of prototype tires, and the use of virtual reality and full-scale models to consider the layout of equipment in the cabin.
Photos: Toyota
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New Society
As part of their efforts to create new partners with "Team Japan," JAXA and Toyota have been collaborating with a variety of industries on the theme of "a lunar society pioneered by the manned pressurized rover" (also known as Team Japan Study Meeting). The meetings focus on how the manned pressurized rover becomes the starting point of a vision of a future lunar surface-based society while discussing the challenges associated with the creation of this type of society.
Photos: Toyota
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First Step
As of right now, Team Japan consists of roughly 100 companies, all of them working together for a brave new future off this planet. And with any luck, this rover will become the first successful step in that ambitious project.
Photos: Toyota
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