TAMPA, Fla. — Space robotics specialist GITAI has completed a concept study for a mechanical arm that would be ready to support Japan’s crewed lunar rover early next decade.
GITAI founder and CEO Sho Nakanose said the Torrance, California-based company’s Japanese subsidiary completed the study March 31, under a $160,000 contract from Japan’s JAXA space agency.
The study covered the concept design of the robotic arm system, interface requirements and operational scenarios for remote and autonomous use.
Nakanose said the next phase of the contract would likely involve several million dollars of funding from JAXA, which is developing the pressurized rover jointly with Japanese automaker Toyota.
The rover is being designed to support crewed exploration of the Moon’s polar regions as part of Japan’s contribution to NASA’s Artemis program, providing astronauts with a mobile, pressurized habitat that allows them to travel, live and work on the lunar surface for up to 30 days.
In exchange for JAXA leading work on the crewed lunar rover, the United States and Japan have agreed to include Japanese astronauts in Artemis lunar missions.
“While no official launch date has been finalized, JAXA has internally targeted a timeframe around 2031–2035, depending on Artemis mission scheduling, rover readiness and launch opportunities,” Nakanose said via email.
“The development timeline in the GITAI contract assumes that the rover system should be ready by FY2030, in preparation for launch shortly thereafter.”
The rover would be designed to operate autonomously during uncrewed periods, using its robotic arm to prepare sites or conduct scientific missions in advance of crew arrival.
Nakanose said JAXA and NASA are continuing to coordinate closely through Artemis Accords and their Gateway partnership to ensure interoperability and mission alignment.
