Bridgestone partners with Astrobotic to develop lunar rover tire

Tokyo, Japan – Bridgestone Corporation announced that the company has reached a collaboration agreement with Astrobotic Technology for joint development of a lunar rover tire.

Bridgestone developed a concept model of first- and second-generation tires utilizing its knowledge cultivated for over 90 years of its tire development history, and conducted validation experiments, such as driving tests and simulations. Drawing on its global expertise in supporting all types of mobility on Earth, Bridgestone is now extending its support to the evolution of space mobility, tackling the challenges of lunar exploration. The company’s innovations, honed in extreme conditions such as motorsport, will play a key role in advancing mobility on the moon. Through this project, Bridgestone is committed to being essential for the future of mobility by taking on the challenges of the Moon’s extreme and largely unexplored surface.

The Bridgestone lunar rover tire will be developed for the Astrobotic 24U CubeRover. Astrobotic has a legacy of developing lunar rovers for over 17 years, which includes 37 rover technology contracts from NASA and 6 distinct lunar rovers to date. Astrobotic’s 24U CubeRover is built to provide mobility, power, and communication support for scientific instruments and payloads on the lunar surface. This 24U rover is about the size of a standard kitchen stove and boasts robust capabilities such as explicit steering, dynamic suspension, and long-distance communications to excel in harsh lunar terrain.

The Bridgestone lunar rover tire applies skeletal structure of metal spokes and features an elastic structure that can deform when driving over obstacles, such as lunar rocks. This design aims to maximize shock absorption, traction, and to improve energy efficiency — vital for extended missions. This elastic tire reduces stress on the rover’s drivetrain and aids in smooth operation. In the near future, Astrobotic and Bridgestone will qualify the tires for the launch and thermal environments of space.

The co-development of the Bridgestone lunar rover tire with Astrobotic is core to the Bridgestone philosophy of collaboration and co-creation with its business partners. By demonstrating Bridgestone’s challenge and pursuit of excellence to its partners, the company is fostering empathy and trust and conducting activities to expand its network in the space industry and co-creation opportunities with international partners. This collaboration with Astrobotic, a leader in space exploration and technology development, marks another step in Bridgestone’s efforts to create new opportunities for co-creation with international partners.