The rover would be able to travel more than 10,000 kilometers (over 6,000 miles) on the moon, letting astronauts explore the lunar surface.
The news: Japan’s space agency, JAXA, announced the partnership with Toyota on March 12. It said the crewed, pressurized rover will use Toyota’s fuel-cell technology. “Fuel cells, which use clean power-generation methods, emit only water, and, because of their high energy density, they can provide a lot of energy, making them especially ideal for the project being discussed with JAXA,” said Toyota executive vice president Shigeki Terashi.
The time frame: JAXA says it aims to launch this new rover in 2029. While Japan doesn’t have plans to work on a rocket that could carry humans to the moon, it hopes to launch it as part of an international project.
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