Tire making giant Michelin is preparing to go to the moon by 2025 as part of a team put together by U.S. aerospace giant Northrop Grumman, for NASA's Artemis program.
A model of the future lunar vehicle, equipped with a Michelin airless tire, was revealed to the general public for the first time at the CES 2022 in Las Vegas, Michelin said in a Jan. 12 statement.
The tire will be capable of resisting the extreme conditions at the lunar pole, making exploration of the lunar surface easier and enabling "a sustainable presence on the moon" in 2025.
Ultimately the Michelin research and development team aims to equip vehicles destined for Mars, according to the French tire maker.
The Artemis program, developed by NASA, plans to send one man and one woman to the Moon in 2025.
The two astronauts will travel in a new lunar vehicle, looking for a site suitable for setting up a base camp for further exploration.
Michelin said participating in the program offered an opportunity to acquire new knowledge in terms of mobility solutions and "stimulated" its innovation capacities.
The company said it will rely on its "high-technology materials" and the know-how acquired in the development of the Tweel for the development of the lunar tire. Michelin's Tweel, a name combining both tire and wheel, has been used on lawn and garden equipment on earth, while the company also has worked with General Motors Co. to build other puncture-proof tires based on the Tweel concept.
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]