NASA mission will drive a Toyota Lunar Cruiser on the Moon

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has signed an agreement with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to supply a vehicle for the next human mission on the Moon – developed by Toyota.

Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Masahito Moriyama met with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson last week to sign the agreement which will see JAXA "design, develop, and operate a pressurised rover for crewed and uncrewed exploration on the Moon".

Toyota has been working with JAXA since 2019 on a 'Lunar Cruiser', with help from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and is expected to deliver the vehicle by 2031 ahead of the planned 'Artemis' mission in 2032.

The Lunar Cruiser is essentially an electric motor home, with the ability to sustain life in a pressurised environment – allowing the crew to take off their spacesuits – for up to one month, including one lunar night (14 days), with up to eight hours of driving each day for six days in a row.

The rover will also have autonomous driving capability while navigating a completely unknown off-road terrain, using LiDAR to avoid craters and rocks.

MORE: Car companies are in a new space race – to the moon

In the proposal for the Lunar Cruiser, the vehicle would use 'Regenerative Fuel Cells' (RFC) to help sustain life onboard, combined with solar panels.

Water would be fed to an electrolysis unit during the day (powered by solar), which would turn the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen would provide clean air to breathe, while the hydrogen would be converted to electricity at night via fuel cells – which produce water as a byproduct, ready to be sent to the electrolysis unit in the daytime.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is helping develop the electrolysis unit due to its experience in marine technology.

While the crews will be swapped out, the Lunar Cruiser is expected to have an operating life of approximately 10 years, with the aim to travel 100,000 across the Moon's surface.

"Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman, first person of colour, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon, make new scientific discoveries, and explore more of the lunar surface than ever before for the benefit of all."