SORA-Q, the Sony Spresense-Powered Transforming Robot, Heads Moonward — If SpaceX Can Fix Falcon 9
An unusual collaborative effort between a space agency, academia, an electronics firm, and a toy company, SORA-Q is a rolling data-gatherer.
A Sony Spresense-powered rolling robot, created in partnership with a major toy manufacturer, is heading to the moon — if its ride can manage to get off the ground, at least.
SORA-Q, a transforming autonomous rover designed for data acquisition, is one of the payloads aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as part of the first private mission to the moon. Originally, the company had hoped to send it skyward and beyond on Wednesday — but unspecified issues pushed the launch back before the announcement of an ongoing hold with no new launch date in sight.
Aboard the grounded rocket is, among other materials, the Hokuto-R M1 lander — created by Japan's ispace, which aims to be the first private company to land on the Earth's moon. Inside the lander is a further payload including science materials, a rover developed by the United Arab Emirates, and an unusual collaboration between a space agency, an electronics firm, academia, and a toy maker: SORA-Q.
The SORA-Q robot was created by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in partnership with scientists at Doshisha University, Sony, and toy maker TOMY — but it's no kid's plaything. The sphere-shaped transforming robot is designed to roll around the lunar surface and gather data on autonomous driving and cruising under one-six gravity — data that will then be used, alongside images captured by its integrated camera, to inform the design of a crewed and pressurizer rover for future missions.
"In 2019, the Government of Japan decided to participate in the Artemis program which was proposed by the US. Based on the decision, JAXA has been promoting mission development and system studies on international space exploration targeting the Moon and Mars by gathering Japanese technologies and knowledge," explains JAXA vice president Hiroshi Sasaki. "In particular, the crewed pressurized rover will play an important role in developing mobility on the lunar surface for sustainable exploration activities. The data on the lunar surface can be obtained by utilizing the transformable lunar robot which is a production of the Space Exploration Innovation Hub and the lunar landing missions of the commercial company. By making the best use of the data, we will surely proceed with the study on the crewed pressurized rover."
Inside the robot's spherical body, which pops open to deploy the camera, is an electronics payload driven by a Sony Spresense Internet of Things (IoT) development board featuring a six-core Arm Cortex-M4F processor cluster, 1.5MB of static RAM (SRAM), and 8MB of flash storage. Its low power draw relative to its capabilities make it ideal for battery- and solar-powered projects — and thus also ideal for use off-Earth, following a series of tests carried out last year to see if the hardware could withstand the harsh environment of space.
"We are honored to be able to contribute to realizing the lunar exploration mission by applying the control system for the transformable lunar robot," says Sony's Hisashi Tamai, a senior vice president in the company's research and development division. "These days, the term 'New Space' has become commonly known and the use of consumer products in space is being considered, [and] we will continue to contribute to this field by applying the accumulated technologies and exploring new technologies, Sony will collaborate with JAXA, TOMY Company and Doshisha University to strongly support future lunar exploration missions."
"'It is only in a country with advanced science and technology that toys can be enhanced.' These are the words of my grandfather, the founder of the company," says Kantaro Tomiyama, chair and chief executive of Tomy. "Since the foundation, we have been making toys with safe and reliable quality, a spirit of craftsmanship to pay attention to details, flexible imagination, and above all, a strong will to make children smile. I sincerely hope that we will make use of them in this space exploration opportunity and make children to be more interested in natural science including space."
At the time of writing, SpaceX had not released details on the cause of the delay nor announced a new launch schedule — but sources "familiar with the mission" speaking to Spaceflight Now claim the problems are serious enough to require the rocket to be rolled back to the hangar for further testing.