Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that it has signed agreements with Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) for research and development activities that will include the measurement and control of prototype equipment for a manned pressurized rover (dubbed “Lunar Cruiser” by Toyota) developed by Toyota and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
In recent years, significant progress has been made in lunar surface exploration, not only by government-funded space agencies but also by commercial companies, several of which have attempted lunar landings. The manned pressurized rover will be Japan’s first autonomous manned space system and is expected to significantly expand the scope of lunar surface exploration activities. It will also be remotely controlled and unmanned, enabling continued exploration of the lunar surface.
For decades, Yokogawa has supplied highly reliable control systems and measurement instruments to companies in a wide range of industries. Drawing on its extensive experience and proactive approach to research and development for the space industry, the company was invited by Toyota to participate in its Manned Pressurized Rover project. These agreements cover design and procurement for prototype development, advancing the conceptual studies undertaken by Yokogawa and Toyota for the control platform and battery measurement components of the Manned Pressurized Rover. Yokogawa will continue to work on development with Toyota with a view to launch in 2031 or later. In the long term, Yokogawa will explore possibilities for new applications that will take advantage of technologies advanced through the development of the Manned Pressurized Rover.
Hidehito Shiratsu, Director of the Space Business Development Office at Yokogawa Electric, said: “We are very pleased to cooperate with Toyota Motor Corporation in the research and development of measurement and control equipment for the manned pressurized rover, which will play a crucial role in continuing lunar exploration. Yokogawa has positioned space as a key area of exploration in its mid-term business plan, Growth for Sustainability 2028, and we are developing opportunities in this area. In doing so, we are leveraging our strengths in measurement, control, and information technologies that have withstood the most extreme environments on Earth, including polar regions and the deep sea. The technologies and knowledge gained from developing products for the most extreme environment—space—will also be used to improve the reliability of our existing products and services for terrestrial industries.”
