Toyota, with the help of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), intends to allow two astronauts to go for an extended joy ride on the Moon 10 years from now.
As Bloomberg reports, Toyota is developing a six-wheeled lunar rover capable of housing two astronauts who can survive comfortably inside without need of space suits. The rover will measure six meters in length and there is expected to be 13 square meters of habitable space inside.
Power for the rover will be provided by an integrated fuel cell with enough power for 10,000km of driving. Solar panels will also be equipped to the exterior of the rover for supplementary power needs and to top up the fuel cell when possible.
The rover will be delivered to the Moon without any astronauts on board, but will then drive to meet the first pair who arrive to use it. In total, four expeditions are currently planned that require use of the rover to traverse the Moon's surface. It seems likely that total will grow if the fuel cell continues to be topped up using solar energy.
This plan by Toyota and JAXA follows China's successful Moon landing at the beginning of January and SpaceX's intention to send a Japanese billionaire to the Moon in 2023. Toyota's rover is the most groundbreaking of the currently announced projects, though, as it's going to offer us potentially a permanent mode of transport on the Moon for exploration.