Bridgestone Corp. has signed an exclusive deal with Teledyne Brown Engineering to provide lunar tires for NASA's crewed lunar terrain vehicle.

According to a joint statement from Bridgestone and Teledyne, the Tokyo, Japan-based tire manufacturer "is developing and validating metal airless tire concepts" that will "ensure function and safety under difficult operating conditions."

"This project is a bold, new challenge for humanity and we are honored to be joining the Teledyne team," says Makoto Ishiyama, executive director, next generation technology, Bridgestone.