Bridgestone Corporation has joined hands with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) to research on tries required for manned, pressurized rovers for seamless mobility on the lunar surface. The international space exploration mission was revealed by JAXA and Toyota in March 2019.
Bridgestone has ample understating of the tire contact patch, which will assist in investigating the mobility challenges at the moon’s surface. The company will create an Elastic Wheel, which will handle the rover’s mass, acceleration, and braking, reduce shock absorbance and enhance maneuverability, allowing the rover to travel over 10,000 km on the moon’s surface. All this is essential for a successful mission.
Bridgestone has a vast experience in creating successful mobility solutions. The company is fully focused to build a contact patch that will make this international space exploration mission effective.
“We are honored to partner with JAXA and Toyota in the challenge of space exploration,” stated Nizar Trigui, chief technology officer, Bridgestone Americas, during a JAXA session at the 35th Space Symposium held today. “We believe that our technical capabilities allow us to explore the development of a tire that is capable of functioning even in the harshest of conditions experienced on the surface of the moon and bring us to a higher level of mobility for mankind. Our founder, Shojiro Ishibashi, believed in contributing to the advancement and development of society, and Bridgestone fulfills that belief through Creative Pioneering (Shinshu-Dokuso), an integral part of our corporate philosophy that allows the company to develop innovative solutions with an eye towards the future. This mission represents that commitment and is a testament of Bridgestone’s commitment to improving the way people move, live, work and play.”