It’s been more than 50 years since NASA’s Apollo Missions took humans to the surface of the Moon. Now, there’s a new project brewing to return mankind to the same. Led by NASA, the Artemis program aims to set up a base for long-term exploration of the lunar surface. The eventual goal is to use these learnings to improve Mars missions in future.
Toyota are working with two astronauts and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to develop mobility solutions for these missions. The Lunar Cruiser is the brand’s hero project here, taking the Land Cruiser’s “go anywhere” spirit to the surface of the Moon.
Lunar Cruiser has been tested to stand firm in an environment with one sixth of Earth’s gravity while also being able to survive temperatures from as low as -170 to 120 degrees Celsius! Toyota’s partners in this mission are Bridgestone and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the former is working on tyres for the vehicle while the latter develops a power source for the Lunar Cruiser. The three brands are working together “as a close knit team with shared ambitions for space.”
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Words by Matthew D’Souza, media courtesy of Toyota Times Japan.
