Lunar Robot Exploration Race HAKUTO and Indian Team Host Joint Event
On April 21st, the Japanese private team "HAKUTO," competing in the world's first robotic lunar exploration race "Google Lunar XPRIZE," and KDDI, providing communication technology support, held a media PR event titled "au × HAKUTO Private Lunar Exploration Team 'HAKUTO' Special Event in TeNQ" at the space museum "TeNQ" in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.
The special event runs from April 23 to May 7 at TeNQ. HAKUTO's rover "SORATO" will host India's Team Indus, with whom it has a ride-sharing agreement, for a joint event. Visitors can see, hear, and experience firsthand the mission of Team Indus' lunar lander and the rover technology.
HAKUTO representative Takeshi Hakamada stated, "At the event, we will also showcase Team Indus' rover. We hope this gives you a sense of reality ahead of the planned launch at year's end and encourages even greater support," introducing the crowdfunding project ( https://a-port.asahi.com/projects/hakuto/). SORATO will undergo final assembly and testing before being shipped to India this summer. On December 28, it is scheduled to launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre aboard India's indigenous PSLV rocket alongside Team Indus. KDDI's Communication Division Head Takaaki Yamada stated, "This marks the beginning of our challenge into the unknown realm of space communications. We aim to support the project's success by collaborating with HAKUTO members." ( https://au-hakuto.jp/ )
Team Indus's Sridhar Ramaswamy explained his team's overview and mission. Regarding HAKUTO, he stated, "They are both good rivals and collaborators." HAKUTO's representative, Hakamada, responded, "Indus is a team we want to challenge alongside, and we want to invigorate the space industry together," while also showing confidence by adding, "But we won't concede the race victory."
Professor Hideaki Miyamoto of the University of Tokyo and Professor Kazuya Yoshida of Tohoku University discussed "lunar science," mentioning the Earth-Moon distance (380,000 km) and the Moon's surface area (10 times Japan's land area of 380,000 sq km). "The keyword for the moon is 38. Another '38' is Representative Hakamada's age at the time of the SORATO launch," they joked, adding, "This project is also drawing great attention and anticipation from scientists."
The special event features full-scale rover panels from both teams, explanatory panels on the "au × HAKUTO MOON CHALLENGE," and exhibits on the history of lunar exploration. On the 29th and 30th, HAKUTO members will give presentations, and visitors can also experience piloting SORATO.
Related article: http://dentsu-ho.com/articles/4937
Was this article helpful?
Share this article
