As you probably have heard, car manufacturer Toyota struck a deal JAXA to develop and launch a piloted moon rover. As it turns out, Toyota intends to base the rover on a modified version of its existing production vehicle – but we don’t know which one yet.
The two companies are considering using chemical fuel-cell tech (such as the one found in hydrogen-powered EVs) for the prototype. Lunar Exploration Mobility Works will proceed with first tests in 2021, followed by 1:1 prototype driving tests in 2022. The companies expect a fully functional rover to emerge in 2024, but the launch to the Moon won’t happen until at least 2029.
Neither company is willing to quote any projected technical specs at this moment. All we know is that the rover will be comparable in size to two microbuses standing next to each other. More specifically, it is going to be around six meters (19.7 ft.) long, 5.2 m (17 ft.) wide and 3.8 m (12.5 ft.) tall, which is pretty huge. It is also going to be able to cover at least 10,000 kilometers before running out of fuel.