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KDDI held a naming ceremony for the rover (lunar exploration vehicle) developed by "HAKUTO," Japan's sole team competing in the world's first lunar exploration race, the "Google Lunar XPRIZE," along with a live debut of the project's support song. The event took place on February 21 at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Koto Ward, Tokyo.
The race's mission is to land a purely privately developed robotic explorer on the moon, remotely operate it from Earth to travel over 500 meters from the landing site, and then transmit high-resolution video and still image data back to Earth. The total prize money amounts to $30 million.
Initially, 16 teams from around the world entered the competition. Ultimately, five teams (Japan, Israel, the United States, the United Nations, and India) that met all requirements will compete.
HAKUTO is Japan's first organization aiming for private space development. KDDI, interpreting its au brand slogan "New Freedom" as "embracing challenges without fear," will support HAKUTO with communication technology. (au × HAKUTO MOON CHALLENGE)
The project held a public contest to name the rover. After judging, the announcement was made on the same day.
At the start, Takaaki Yamada, Head of the Communications Division at official partner KDDI, stated: "We received approximately 37,000 submissions for the contest. We are delighted to announce the heartfelt name today. We hope this name will help people feel closer to this challenge." With the Geo-Cosmos, a symbolic exhibit of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, as a backdrop, the rover was unveiled. HAKUTO representative Takeshi Hakamada, wearing the new Snow Peak uniform, then reported on the project's current status. He explained that the rocket carrying the rover will be launched in a shared flight with Team INDUS (India). He revealed the future schedule: completing the rover this spring, conducting final tests, and launching from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India in December 2017. He expressed confidence, stating, "Both HAKUTO and INDUS teams have won the interim prize, so we have a chance to win the grand prize."
Members of the popular rock band Sakanaction, who serve as project ambassadors and composed the support song, appeared. They announced the rover's name is "SORATO," and the support song's title is also "SORATO."
Member Ichiro Yamaguchi, who also served as a judge for the naming contest, shared that while it was the first time someone other than himself had named one of his songs, he felt exhilarated by the challenge. Reflecting on the selection process, he stated, "We chose a name that truly reflects the passion for this project." During a talk session joined by Representative Hakamada, they shared an anecdote from filming a TV commercial where they shared drinks and discussed their dreams of space. He commented, "We hope all of Japan will cheer 'SORATO' with passion. We want everyone to support this lunar mission."
In Part 2, Sakanaction performed live before 500 invited guests. Their support song "SORATO" was unveiled in its full version for the first time, uniting the venue in praying for the safe journey of SORATO.
Project Official Website: https://au-hakuto.jp/
Related article: http://dentsu-ho.com/articles/4777
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