Japan will have a moon-traveling car by 2029
The Japanese automaker has revealed plans to partner with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to build a car that will travel to the moon.
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At a symposium in Tokyo, the Japanese automaker and JAXA announced they hope for a moon landing by 2029.
“We are studying various scenarios as well as technologies that will be applied to specific space missions,” said JAXA Vice President Koichi Wakata at the press conference, according to a press release.
“Human resources will likely be a key element in supporting human lunar exploration, which we envision happening in the 2030s. We aim to have such a vehicle in space by 2029,” he added.
The automaker and JAXA have reportedly teamed up to produce a manned rover.
The vehicle uses battery-powered fuel cell technology, and although it carries a limited amount of fuel, it will still be able to travel a distance of about 10,000km on the surface of the moon.
According to the proposed description, the rover would be the size of two minibuses, measuring 6m (long) x 5m (wide) x 3.8m (high).
“The auto industry has long been associated with the concept of “domestic” business. However, from now on, when dealing with issues such as environmental issues on a global scale, the concept of “home planet”, where we all come from, will become a very important concept,” said the carmaker’s leader.
