Lunar Mobility: Will Hyundai Join Toyota, Nissan, and GM in Developing a Moon Rover?

Hyundai’s Surprise Move: Hiring for Lunar Mobility Development

Recently, Hyundai Motor Company posted a job opening that caught the attention of the space and mobility industries. The position? Lunar Mobility Project Management.

But why is Hyundai—an automaker—venturing into space exploration? What does lunar exploration have to do with the automotive industry?

🔗 Hyundai’s Lunar Mobility Project Job Posting

Hyundai’s Collaboration on Lunar Mobility Development

In July 2022, Hyundai and Kia entered into a joint research agreement with South Korea’s top research institutes, including:

• ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute)
• KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute)
• KATECH (Korea Automotive Technology Institute)

This collaboration aims to develop mobility solutions for lunar surface exploration.

🔗 Hyundai & Kia’s Lunar Exploration Agreement

South Korea’s Role in Artemis and Lunar Exploration

Hyundai’s move aligns with South Korea’s increasing participation in lunar exploration. The country is among 21 nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon.

Additionally, South Korea’s KPLO (Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, known as Danuri), launched in August 2022, is actively searching for potential landing sites for future Artemis crewed missions.

The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute is also contributing to scientific instruments for lunar surface observation, some of which may be used in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program in partnership with private space firms like SpaceX.

🔗 South Korea’s Role in Artemis

Automakers’ Growing Interest in Lunar Rovers

The development of lunar rovers is attracting major automakers.

GM & Lockheed Martin’s Lunar Rover

In May 2021, General Motors (GM) and Lockheed Martin announced a partnership to develop a lunar vehicle for the Artemis missions.

• NASA has outlined strict requirements for future lunar rovers, including:
  ✔ Electric propulsion
  ✔ Autonomous driving capabilities
  ✔ Extreme terrain handling

Notably, GM has historical experience in this field, having worked with Boeing on the Apollo mission’s original lunar rover in the 1960s.

🔗 GM & Lockheed Martin’s Lunar Rover Collaboration

Toyota & JAXA’s Lunar Rover

Japan’s JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has partnered with Toyota to develop an advanced pressurized lunar rover.

Toyota’s approach includes:

• Hydrogen fuel cell technology for extended missions
• Autonomous driving systems to navigate the Moon’s rugged landscape

Toyota has also signed a research agreement with NASA, further expanding its role in international lunar exploration efforts.

🔗 Toyota’s Pressurized Moon Rover Development

The Challenges of Lunar Mobility

Driving on the Moon presents unique challenges:
🚀 Extreme terrain: Crater-filled, rocky landscapes with little atmospheric protection
🌑 Temperature fluctuations: Dramatic differences between lunar day and night
🪫 Energy efficiency: Fossil fuels are impractical, so solar energy or hydrogen fuel cells are necessary
🛰 Communication & autonomy: Rovers must operate semi-autonomously due to communication delays with Earth

Who Will Lead the Next-Generation Lunar Mobility Revolution?

Mobility is no longer confined to Earth’s surface. As space exploration advances, lunar and extraterrestrial mobility will become a key industry.

🚗 Tesla has already introduced bioweapon defense mode and air filtration systems in the Model S, demonstrating interest in closed-environment vehicle designs.
🚀 GM has direct experience developing lunar rovers from the Apollo era.
🔋 Toyota is leveraging fuel cell and autonomous driving technology for the Moon.

With Hyundai now entering the race, South Korea has an opportunity to become a key player in next-generation lunar mobility.

🚀 Will Hyundai join the ranks of global automakers competing for lunar dominance? The space race is heating up!