Bridgestone wants its rubber to land on the moon via an international space exploration. The tyre giant is collaborating with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota for the project.

The goal of the mission is to land a rover on the moon with Bridgestone providing specialised tyres for manned, pressurised rovers to help them cover more than 10,000km of the lunar surface.

Bridgestone obviously have a great deal of knowledge when it comes to tyre contact patch data. The development of an Elastic Wheel will help support the rover’s weight, acceleration and braking. Shock absorbance and overall manoeuvrability are also vital. 

Nizar Trigui, chief technology officer, Bridgestone Americas said, “We are honoured to partner with JAXA and Toyota in the challenge of space exploration,”

“We believe that our technical capabilities 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.”