Hyundai Motor Group announced on Thursday that it is expanding its business to include the development of lunar roving vehicles.
The automotive giant announced that its lunar rover development initiative is intended to support the advancement of scientific research in space by the country.
Hyundai Motor Group plans to enhance the technology continuously, starting with the initial development model, with the aim of creating a product capable of exploring the lunar surface by 2027.
After collaborating with local institutes, the car manufacturer group has completed the preliminary design for a lunar rover that will land on the moon’s south pole and carry out scientific tasks such as extracting minerals and conducting environmental analyses.
According to the company, the lunar rover vehicle is a small self-driving vehicle designed for exploring the surface of the moon. It will be autonomous and powered by a solar panel for self-charging. It will be equipped with technologies like thermal management, radiation shielding devices, and metal drive wheels to withstand the extreme environment of the lunar surface, where the temperature difference between day and night can exceed 300 degrees Celsius.
Hyundai anticipates completing the production of the developmental model by the second half of 2024. Subsequently, the company intends to further study driving and mission execution in a similar environment to that of the moon’s surface.
