Bridgestone to Showcase Lunar Rover Tires at Space Symposium, Building on Partnerships with Astrobotic and ispace
Bridgestone will exhibit at the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, demonstrating its latest lunar rover tires designed for the challenging lunar surface.
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What Happened
Bridgestone Corporation announced its participation in the 41st Space Symposium, the largest space-related conference in the United States, taking place from April 13 to 16, 2026, in Colorado Springs. The company will showcase its progress on lunar rover tire development, featuring demonstrations of its elastic wheels mounted on a mobility vehicle. Visitors can see and touch the tires, experiencing their high traversability on simulated challenging lunar surface environments, such as compressible fine sand and rocky terrain. Bridgestone aims to expand its network in the space business and foster further co-creation opportunities through this exhibition.
Bridgestone began research and development of lunar rover tires.
Bridgestone signed a collaboration agreement with Astrobotic Technology to develop lunar rover tires.
Bridgestone signed a basic agreement with ispace, inc. towards practical application of tires for small-and-medium-sized lunar rovers.
Bridgestone exhibits at the 41st Space Symposium, showcasing its latest lunar rover tire technology.
The lunar rover tire development is an innovative approach to expand the utilization of Bridgestone's AirFree technology, which does not rely on air pressure. This technology has been positioned as an exploratory business in the company's Mid Term Business Plan (2024-2026). Bridgestone aims to apply the technology refined in the extreme lunar environment to tires used on Earth, contributing to further social value creation.
Why this matters
This marks Bridgestone's third consecutive year at the event, highlighting the company's commitment to advancing space mobility through tire technology and co-creation with partners.
Terms in This Story
- lunar rover
- A vehicle designed to operate on the surface of the Moon, used for exploration and transport.
- AirFree
- A tire technology that does not require air pressure, using a unique structure to support the vehicle.
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