2023-04-20 07:00:00
Hyundai Motor Group, together with Korean aerospace companies, has started building a development model of a lunar vehicle. The prototype will be used to test the rover’s performance requirements. The group assumes that the first test unit will be completed in the second half of 2024 and is aiming for an operational model in 2027.
As early as July 2022, the group’s subsidiaries Kia and Hyundai, together with six renowned Korean research institutes from the aerospace industry, agreed to set up an advisory committee to develop a mobility solution for exploring the lunar surface. For the rover, the group wants the systems of Kia and Hyundai in the areas of robotics and autonomous driving (camera, lidar), propulsion system (motor, wheels, chassis) and charging technology (solar panel, battery), as well as robot manufacturing technology from Hyundai Rotem as part of a multi-purpose -Use mobility platform.
The components will form the lower part of the rover, which will be a mobility platform equipped with a variety of technologies for digging, excavation and human exploration of the lunar surface for resource extraction. The upper part is intended for payloads in the form of scientific devices for exploring the lunar surface. To withstand the extreme conditions on the moon, the rover will have thermal management features and a radiation shield.
It is planned to land the rover near the south pole of the moon following the completion of the development, testing and optimization phases, where various scientific missions will be carried out. The solar-powered, autonomously driving mobility unit will weigh around 70 kilograms. (awm)
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