The famous Japanese automaker Toyota has decided to go beyond the roads by staring into space.Toyota subsidiary Woven by Toyota announced a $44.4 million investment in Japanese space startup Interstellar Technologies. This decision demonstrates the company’s commitment to exploring the promising space market.
“The future of mobility should not be limited to Earth,” Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda said at the CES show in Las Vegas. His words hint at a possible rivalry with Tesla, which is also working on space projects through SpaceX.
Partnership in the rocket industry
The partnership with Interstellar Technologies will help the startup expand its launch vehicle production to meet the growing demand for satellite launches. According to Interstellar CEO Takahiro Inagawa, Toyota’s support will turn single rocket production into a scalable chain system.
Interstellar already has a success story in the space industry: in 2017, the company became the first private firm in Japan to launch a rocket, although the launch was unsuccessful. They have already managed to successfully deliver a payload to the edge of space in 2019. They have already managed to successfully deliver a payload to the edge of space in 2019. Toyota has been supporting Interstellar since 2020, helping to reduce costs and work towards mass production.
Woven City and satellite communications
Toyota is also building a futuristic Woven City at the foot of Mount Fuji. It is a testbed for innovation, including the development of its own Starlink-like telecommunications network. According to Woven by Toyota CEO Hajime Kumabe, stable and continuous communication is essential for autonomous driving.
Toyota’s Space Prospects
A partnership with Interstellar could give Toyota access to rockets to launch communications satellites. This business model resembles the approach of SpaceX, which uses Falcon 9 rockets to launch Starlink satellites. If Toyota can achieve a similar level of performance, Japan will have a reliable and affordable tool for space exploration.
We previously reported on how Hyundai would explore the Moon with robots.
According to TechCrunch
