The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) has teamed up with Sony, Doshisha University and toymaker Tomy to develop a small robot the size of a baseball. Its objective will be to analyze the surface of the Moon to prepare for the arrival of a future manned vehicle.
It weighs only 250 grams for about eight centimeters in diameter. This ultra-compact and ultra-light transformable robot will hitchhike aboard a lunar lander developed by the Japanese company ispace in 2022. Its round shape will allow it to take up as little space as possible for transport. Once there, the structure will deploy and activate several small instruments aimed at gathering comprehensive data on the lunar surface .
The purpose of this mission will be to prepare for the arrival of the pressurized lunar "minibus", currently being developed by JAXA in collaboration with the car manufacturer Toyota, whose autonomy could approach the 10,000 km. It should facilitate long-distance travel for Japanese astronauts in the 2030s .
To develop the self-driving and cruising technologies that the vehicle will rely on, JAXA needs to learn more about the potential impacts of the Moon's gravity (a sixth of that on Earth) and the layer of regolith that covers its surface.
The images taken by the robot will be transferred to the mission control center via the lunar lander. The data acquired will be used to evaluate the localization algorithm and the impact of the regolith on the driving performance of the pressurized rover with crew.
JAXA is working on this robot ball since 2016 , in collaboration with Tomy Company ltd, the famous Japanese toy manufacturer. Sony Group Corporation then joined the project in 2019 to develop the robot's control system. Finally, researchers from Japan's private Doshisha University recently signed a contract to help Tomy miniaturize its overall design.
"Since the founding of [the company], we have been making toys of safe and reliable quality through our boosted attention to detail and flexible imagination by our desire to make children smile “said Kantaro Tomiyama, CEO of Tomy. “I sincerely hope that we will inspire children to be more interested in natural sciences, including space “.
As for the rover, few technical details have been communicated so far. However, it could rely on rechargeable fuel cell technology with hydrogen. A solar panel would also be on board.
