Japanese researchers are planning an ambitious space train system that will travel between Earth, the moon, and Mars, providing transportation to “artificial gravity living facilities.” This groundbreaking project, known as the “Hexagon Space Track System,” was unveiled by the Human Spaceology Centre at Kyoto University and construction company Kajima Corporation in a press conference held in July.
The Hexagon Space Track System envisions a “space train” that would travel between Earth, the moon, and Mars, stopping at stations on orbiting satellites. These space trains would be as large as Japanese bullet trains and would be launched using linear motors or rocket engines. The train’s six cars would separate at the stations and be transported in hexagon capsules.
According to the university department, “When launching into space, each vehicle is connected by a bar to maintain straightness. When you arrive at the base station, you will be separated by one car each. Rocket ejection devices are installed on the leading and trailing vehicles to ‘accelerate’ in outer space and escape the gravitational sphere of each planet.”
Additionally, “On planets with an atmosphere, the wings are spread and lift is used. On the moon and Mars, it will be operated as a high-speed railway connecting the respective base cities.” These space trains would transport people to “artificial gravity living facilities” with Earth-like gravity.
The moon’s facility, called Lunar Glass, and the Mars facility, called Mars Glass, would feature forests and waterfronts replicating Earth’s biodiversity. Yosuke Yamashiki, director of the SIC Human Spaceology Center of Kyoto University, emphasized the uniqueness of this plan, stating, “There is no plan like this in other countries’ space development plans. Our plan represents important technologies crucial to ensuring human beings will be able to move to space in the future.”
Takuya Ono, a project associate professor with the center and a senior researcher at Kajima, noted the challenges of low gravity in space habitation, “As the idea of living in space becomes more realistic, the problem with the low gravity, which I intuitively became aware of when I was a child, is an issue we must overcome. We are committed to achieving the plan so it will be useful for human beings.”
While researchers believe a simplified version of the system can be created on the moon by 2050, the complete facilities are expected to take around 100 years to construct.
In a statement, the Human Spaceology Centre said, “Mankind is now moving from an era of ‘staying’ in outer space to an era of ‘living’ on the Moon and Mars.”
