Japan is testing robotic earth-moving equipment in a simulated lunar jobsite. The program will test automated remote construction machinery for the Moon. 

A transformable lunar robot made of aluminum alloy is approximately 80 mm in diameter and weighs approximately 175 g. Its outer shell is made of aluminum alloy, and it is powered by a single lithium‐ion battery. 

GITAI conducted a successful demonstration of In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) activities in a simulated space environment in April 2022. In December 2022, GITAI announced the start of U.S. operations with the opening of an office in Torrance, Calif..

Japan Tests Robotic Earth-Moving Equipment in a Simulated Lunar Jobsite. Japan has embarked on an exciting new lunar program that will test automated remote construction machinery for the Moon

Japan’s lunar exploration spacecraft is called SLIM, which stands for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched SLIM on September 7, 2023 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The spacecraft is expected to land on the moon’s surface sometime in January or February of next year. 

SLIM is expected to land within 100 meters of its target site near the Shioli crater on the Moon’s near side. The lander will take a long, circuitous route that will use less propellant for at least four months. It will take several months to reach lunar orbit, then circle the Moon for a month before attempting to land. 

The budget of the entire mission is $100 million. If successful, Japan will become only the fifth nation after the U.S., Russia, China, and most recently India, to successfully carry out a soft landing on the moon

Takara Tomy, the toy company that created Transformers, designed a rolling lunar robot called SORA-Q for Japan’s space agency, JAXA. JAXA, Toyota, and Takara Tomy also teamed up for a manned pressurized lunar rover called Lunar Cruiser Optimus Prime. 

Other lunar rovers include: 

• Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV): A battery-powered “dune buggy” used on Apollo missions 15, 16, and 17. The LRV cost $38 million, equivalent to $260 million in 2021. 
• Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER): A mobile robot that will land at the South Pole of the Moon in late 2024 on a 100-day mission. 
• Lunokhod 1: The first robotic rover on the Moon. 
• Yutu 2: A rover that is still operating after four years on the moon’s far side. 
• India’s moon rover: Switched off after completing its walk on the lunar surface

The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was stowed on the descent stage of the Lunar Module and deployed upon arrival at the lunar surface. The LRV was designed to fold up and travel compactly in a packaging on the Lunar Module. To access and deploy it, the astronauts used a system of pulleys and braked reels using ropes and cloth tapes. 

The LRV was carried on the fourth successful Apollo mission in 1971. It was a two-seater, manually driven rover that was designed to climb steep slopes, to go over rocks, and to move easily over the Moon’s regolith.

The SORA-Q is a tiny, round, transforming autonomous rover designed for data acquisition on the moon. It was developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in cooperation with Tomy, Sony Group, and Doshisha University. The rover is eight centimeters in diameter and is powered by Sony Spresense. 

The SORA-Q is scheduled to launch in August or later aboard the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon. A model of the rover is also available for sale. 

Japan and India are planning a joint mission to the moon in 2025 to search for water near the lunar south pole. Japan will provide the rover and launcher, and India will provide the lander

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