2029 Launch Targeted For Toyota's Pressurised Moon Rover

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) and Toyota are amidst a joint study that could see this rover concept landing on the moon in 2029
2029 Launch Targeted For Toyota's Pressurised Moon Rover

Today we bring you some out of this world Toyota news which - thankfully - doesn’t involve an old Space Cruiser MPV we’ve dug out of the classifieds.

The manufacturer has announced that it’s been working together with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) since May 2018 on a pressurised moon rover, a joint project which the two parties are now looking to ‘accelerate’. In fact, the aim is to launch the vehicle - depicted in these renderings - into space as soon as 2029.

The vehicle will be six metres long, 5.2 metres wide and 3.8 metres high. Inside its pressurised cabin there’s a 13-metre square living space which two people can call home. Or in an emergency, four.

It’ll be powered by “fuel cell and electric vehicle technologies,” rather like Toyota’s Mirai road car. “Fuel cells, which use clean power-generation methods, emit only water,” Toyota Executive Vice President Shigeki Terashi, said, adding, “because of their high energy density, can provide a lot of energy, making them especially suited for the project being discussed with Jaxa.”

2029 Launch Targeted For Toyota's Pressurised Moon Rover

The rover will be able to travel “more than 10,000km” of the moon’s surface, and be capable of tackling craters, cliffs and big hills, all while in an environment with just one-sixth of Earth’s gravity.

The moon rover is only the start. Toyota calls it the “first step” in its relationship with Jaxa. Who knows, one day there may be a Toyota on Mars, or even further afield…

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Comments

Robert Homann

Don’t you mean today instead of Toyota?
(First Paragraph)

03/12/2019 - 17:07 |
10 | 0

Lol I noticed that too

03/12/2019 - 17:17 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

Rav4 lookin futuristic

03/12/2019 - 18:53 |
7 | 0
yowzers

Toyota: lets go places, like the moon.

03/12/2019 - 19:38 |
9 | 0

toyota finally gets to cross that off their list of places they havent gone to
after that they just need to visit sol 1 and 4, since the rest are either entirely gas, a 500°c inferno or frozen

03/13/2019 - 10:59 |
1 | 0
RodriguezRacer456 (Aventador SV) (Lambo Squad)

So it’ll have an FJ Cruiser grille

03/12/2019 - 20:37 |
7 | 0

It’ll still be part of the FJ heritage/spirit right?

03/12/2019 - 23:38 |
2 | 0
Monty4248

Hope they aren’t planning on loading that on SLS lol.

03/12/2019 - 20:52 |
0 | 0
Wogmidget

Your move, NASA

03/12/2019 - 20:53 |
1 | 1
Anonymous

I was just reading an article on this lol

03/12/2019 - 21:14 |
0 | 0
CannedRex24

Elon: Cannon balls a Model X to the moon

03/13/2019 - 03:58 |
1 | 0
Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

In reply to by CannedRex24

I could totally see that lmao

03/13/2019 - 09:57 |
0 | 0

I wonder if you could actually pressurize a normal car like that or if you’d have to wear suits

03/14/2019 - 21:24 |
0 | 0
Oogway

I can hear people complaining because it’s not a manual

03/13/2019 - 07:36 |
2 | 0
RWB Dude

In reply to by Oogway

Reeee it doesn’t have a 2JZ so I’m not going to like it

03/13/2019 - 15:12 |
3 | 0
Anonymous

they should just send a pressurized land cruiser 79’,it already conquered the world it can definitely handle the moon,

03/13/2019 - 08:06 |
1 | 0