Sora-Q

{{Short description|Miniature Lunar rover}}

File:SORAQ-BackView.jpg

File:SORAQ-FrontView.jpg

File:SLIM-LEV1-LEV2-JAXA-SagamiharaCampus-AdvancedFacilityForSpaceExploration-SpaceExplorationField.jpg

Sora-Q is a miniature Lunar rover designed and made by Japanese space agency JAXA, toy manufacturer Tomy, Sony, and Doshisha University.{{cite web |last=Hirano |first=Daichi |date=7 October 2022 |title=Palm-Sized Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) |url=https://global.jaxa.jp/activity/pr/jaxas/no088/03.html |access-date=22 October 2022 |work=JAXA |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003094707/https://global.jaxa.jp/activity/pr/jaxas/no088/03.html |url-status=live }}

It was launched to the Moon first on the failed Hakuto-R Mission 1 in 2022,{{cite web |last=Rabie |first=Passant |date=12 December 2022 |title=SpaceX Launches Moon-Bound Private Japanese Lander Following Delays |url=https://gizmodo.com/spacex-ispace-lunar-mission-hakuto-r-m1-1849884016 |access-date=15 December 2022 |work=Gizmodo |archive-date=15 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215235501/https://gizmodo.com/spacex-ispace-lunar-mission-hakuto-r-m1-1849884016 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=ispace、2022年末頃の打ち上げに向け、フライトモデル組み立ての最終工程に着手 Hakuto-Rのミッション1と2の進捗報告を実施 |url=https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=2513 |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=ispace |language=en |archive-date=27 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627134228/https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=2513 |url-status=live }} and on 2023 Smart Lander for Investigating Moon mission, where it is officially called the Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2). The rover was successfully deployed and operated after landing on January 19, 2024.{{cite magazine |last1=Alt |first1=Matt |title=A Mini Moon Rover from the Toy Company That Created Transformers |url=https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/a-mini-moon-rover-from-the-toy-company-that-created-transformers |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=16 February 2024 |date=21 December 2022}}{{cite web |title=Japan succeeds in soft landing on the moon, but its lander has a power problem |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/01/18/1225328376/japan-moon-landing-robot-transformers-jaxa |website=npr.org |access-date=16 February 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Wall |first1=Mike |title=Japan's SLIM moon lander photographed on the lunar surface — on its nose (image) |url=https://www.space.com/japan-slim-moon-lander-photo-lunar-surface |website=Space.com |access-date=16 February 2024 |language=en |date=25 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Stricken Japanese Moon mission landed on its nose |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68091389 |publisher=BBC |access-date=16 February 2024 |date=25 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Sora-Q Rover, LEV-2, SLIM Mission |url=https://lunarresourcesregistry.com/actual/sora-q-rover-slim-mission/ |website=Lunar Resources Registry |access-date=16 February 2024 |date=1 February 2024}}

The baseball-sized rover has a mass of 250 g and diameter of 8 cm and is equipped with two small cameras. LEV-2 extends its shape to crawl on the lunar surface using two wheels at its sides, a method of locomotion inspired by frogs and sea turtles;{{cite web | url=https://japan-forward.com/jaxa-gives-itself-60-out-of-100-for-lunar-landing/ | title=JAXA Gives Itself 60 Out of 100 for Lunar Landing | JAPAN Forward | date=23 January 2024 | access-date=27 January 2024 | archive-date=23 January 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123153318/https://japan-forward.com/jaxa-gives-itself-60-out-of-100-for-lunar-landing/ | url-status=live }} it can "run" for approximately two hours.{{cite news |title=Palm-Sized Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) |url=https://global.jaxa.jp/activity/pr/jaxas/no088/03.html |access-date=2023-08-26 |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003094707/https://global.jaxa.jp/activity/pr/jaxas/no088/03.html |url-status=live }}