Hyundai commences lunar rover project

Hyundai Motor Group revealed that it has started working on a moon rover, which will be used for lunar exploration.

According to the automotive conglomerate that owns Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, the lunar rover is being built with advanced robotics and autonomous driving technologies as well as Hyundai Rotem’s robot manufacturing technology as part of a multi-purpose mobility platform.

Further, Hyundai Motor Group said that it will feature components sourced from the brands under its umbrella, including cameras, LiDAR, motor, wheels, suspension systems, solar panels, and batteries.

It will also have a thermal management function and radiation shielding to withstand the extreme environment of the lunar surface.

The abovementioned components will occupy the lunar rover’s lower section while the upper section will consist of scientific payloads for lunar surface exploration.

“Hyundai Motor Group has consistently stated its goal is to contribute to expanding human reach and the scope of human mobility experiences. The creation of the lunar exploration mobility development model not only reflects this goal, but also shows our ambition to achieve tangible results in the face of significant challenges. With the rover’s development, we are moving beyond land, sea and air mobility to expand into space mobility,” stated Hyundai Motor and Kia Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Planning and Coordination Center Yong Wha Kim.

The development of the aforementioned lunar rover is the fruit of a joint multilateral research agreement the consortium signed with six Korean research institutes in the aerospace sector.

They are Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and Korea Automotive Technology Institute.

Hyundai Motor Group said that it expects to complete the initial test unit in the second half of 2024 and aims to create a model that has launch capability in 2027.

Photos from Hyundai Motor Group

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