Japan’s Tiny Transforming Rover Demonstrates Autonomous Moon Navigation
A compact 8 cm spherical rover named SORA-Q, developed by JAXA with Sony, Doshisha University and Takara-TOMY, transforms from a sphere into a two‑wheeled rover and autonomously explored the Moon after being deployed from JAXA’s SLIM lander in December 2023. The rover, alongside LEV-1, relayed data back to Earth, demonstrating miniature autonomous lunar robotics and onboard navigation; communications ceased after about 100 minutes, likely due to LEV‑1 or battery issues, but the mission showcases promising tech for future small-spacecraft explorers.
