Bridgestone to be Part of International Space Exploration Mission

Bridgestone has announced that it will be part of an international space exploration mission along with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota). JAXA and Toyota had announced the plan for the mission in March and its goals include expanding the domain of human activity and developing intellectual property on space exploration. Bridgestone’s role in the mission will include investigating the performance needs of tires for use on manned, pressurized rovers to help these vehicles tackle their journey on the surface of the moon more effectively.

Bridgestone has collaborated with both organizations to research this next phase of human exploration, and this project will be building further on its research association with JAXA that goes back to the 2000s when it collaborated with JAXA to examine the contact patch between rovers and the lunar surface. It also partnered as a technical partner for the Toyota rover project.

Bridgestone’s expertise and knowledge when it comes to tire contact patch will help the team involved in the project to explore the mobility challenges that are faced on the lunar surface, as Bridgestone will help develop an Elastic Wheel that can support the rover’s weight, acceleration and braking, while minimizing shock absorbance, and improving maneuverability. The rover will thus be able to cruise over 10,000 km on the lunar surface, which is needed to accomplish the mission.

Bridgestone has a history of using its expertise to develop solutions to meet unique mobility challenges. It has expressed its commitment to contribute actively to this international space exploration mission by developing a contact patch that can function even in the challenging mobility conditions that are experienced on the lunar surface of the moon.

Commenting on this mission, Nizar Trigui, chief technology officer, Bridgestone Americas, during a JAXA session at the 35th Space Symposium said that Bridgestone was honored to partner with JAXA and Toyota in the challenge of space exploration.

He added, “We believe that our technical capabilities will 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.”