See what Toyota's first rover on the moon might look like

NASA Engineer Mark Kirasic, Acting Director of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems,

spoke at a meeting of the Virtual Institute for Solar System Research.During his presentation, Kirašić outlined NASA's plans for activities on the surface of the Moon.

Assuming NASA is aiming to land humansto the Moon by 2024, in 2025, Lunar Land Transport will be operated through the Commercial Lunar Cargo Delivery Services program, in which NASA has a choice of private companies for delivery services.

The rover, which was shown at the NASA presentation,may be a relatively simple, non-pressurized vehicle. It is similar to what astronauts had at their disposal during the last three Apollo missions to the Moon.

Kirasic stated that this rover is the first ofelements of the lunar environment on the surface, which the engineers are going to build. He also confirmed that NASA will formally establish a rover program office at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Rendering of the Lunar Rover that NASA can use during Artemis' second mission to the moon.NASA's current plan to develop the surface architecture of the Moon.

The next step is to design a sealed rover. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will participate in the project, Kirasic said.

NASA formalized it last weekagreement by signing a "Joint Declaration of Intent" which includes Japan's contribution to the development of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway. This is a program to create an international manned lunar station headed by NASA, intended at the first stage to study the Moon and deep space, and later as a transfer station for astronauts heading to Mars and back.

This potentially means that JapaneseThe space agency, JAXA, will lead the development of a critical part of the Artemis program architecture, a rover that becomes home to two people within 14 days.

When asked if it was justifiable for NASA to delegate this work to JAXA and its commercial partner Toyota, Kirasic replied that it was necessary.

Our work depends on the federalfunding, so we must listen to our constituents who fund us. It is very important for our leadership to involve JAXA. In addition, the Japanese and their automotive industry are very interested in this kind of development.

Mark Kirasich, NASA engineer

The senior lunar scientist attending the meetingClive Neal of Notre Dame said the announcement that Japan would now lead the development of pressurized habitats on the Moon came as a surprise.

However, Neil added that he understands thatNASA and its administrator, Jim Bridenstine, need to expand the appeal of the Artemis program and attract additional partners. This not only makes it easier for Congress to support the mission, but also the future presidential administration, and also helps cover the high costs of returning to the moon.

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