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Needless to say, Toyota has been conquering the automotive landscape on Earth, consistently ranking at the top of global sales figures. But the Japanese brand doesn’t stop there. In collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Toyota has started joint research on fuel cell vehicle technology on the Moon. More importantly, the Toyota vehicle from another world now has a name.
The lunar exploration vehicle will be the Lunar Cruiser. And yes, it’s one of Toyota’s best-known names, dating back to the automaker’s SUV lineup, primarily the iconic Land Cruiser.
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The intention of naming the Lunar Cruiser pressurized rover is obvious; Toyota wants people to become familiar with it as development proceeds. The fact that we (and other automotive sites) are writing about this means that the plan is working well.
As mentioned, the Lunar Cruiser is currently in development. The pressurized rover will be manned, of course. Considering the harsh environments that the Japanese exploration team will face on the moon, the collaboration wants to ensure that quality, durability and reliability are present in the pressurized rover, in the spirit of “I will definitely come home.” Yes, that’s in the press release.
JAXA and Toyota have set the timetable for the Lunar Cruiser’s journey within this decade. This year, driving simulations will be conducted to confirm power and heat dissipation performance, as well as tire test production and interior design layout.
By 2024, the team will begin engineering and design of the actual spacecraft. Public unveiling of the actual lunar cruiser is scheduled for 2029, with a manned lunar exploration by 2030.
