Japanese construction company Kajima and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently conducted a demonstration experiment, linking the Kajima’s experimental field in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture and the JAXA Sagamihara Campus in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The experiment involved remotely operating construction machinery to simulate lunar environmental work. The test focused on permanently shadowed craters, areas with perpetual darkness at the lunar poles. The experiment confirmed the validity of essential construction and component technologies required for lunar construction.

Part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Space Unmanned Construction Innovative Technology Development Promotion Project," which involves Kashima, JAXA, and Shibaura Institute of Technology, the experiment advances research and development for construction activities on the moon.

The experiment utilized the JAXA Sagamihara Campus as the command center, deploying three modified construction machines (two backhoes and one crawler dump) at the experimental field. Following a scenario based on excavation and transportation operations for lunar water drilling, the experiment demonstrated hybrid construction with both automatic control and remote operation. (2023/11/09)