Hyundai to develop space rovers for South Korea

Hyundai is among 13 organizations tasked by the South Korean government to develop key rover components.

The agreement is part of the government’s push to develop homegrown space rovers as global competition for lunar exploration intensifies, according to Yonhap news agency.

The country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy signed a deal with Hyundai Motors Co., the conglomerate’s car-making unit, and other institutions and companies worth a combined total of 23 billion won ($16.6 million).

Through the project, South Korea aims to develop around 10 key rover components, including motors, robotic arms, and other essential rover parts capable of operating under extreme conditions, including low temperatures and high radiation.

"South Korea has great potential in the space industry, based on its industrial competitiveness in future cars, robotics and ICT industries," Industry Policy Deputy Minister Lee Seung-ryeol said in a statement.

"The ministry will continue efforts to develop homegrown technologies for key materials, parts and equipment in areas including space, aviation and defense," Lee added.

South Korea’s Asian neighbors, China and Japan, have well-established space rover programs.

China had previously landed two rovers on the moon and one on Mars. It has recently selected two proposals for a crewed lunar rover as part of its plans to send humans to the Moon by the end of the decade.

Meanwhile, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is working with Toyota and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on the design of a pressurized rover for a NASA-led Artemis mission in exchange for sending a Japanese astronaut to the moon.

Called the Lunar Cruiser, the rover would serve as a mobile habitat for astronauts, where they could spend up to 30 days at a time while exploring the moon.