Nissan Shares Technology with the European Space Agency

In the US, the Nissan Frontier is a midsize pickup truck that handles the trails and gives you the off-road qualities you’re looking for.

This truck is sold as the Navara in other parts of the world to give us a truck that can get things done. Sometimes, the duty for this truck is to handle the small load you need to bring home from the store, other times it’s to bring some of the most advanced equipment possible to the destination.

The Recent Nissan Navara Showed Up

At Germany’s Hannover Motor Show, Nissan had a booth with several vehicles that were present for viewing. One model that captured the attention of those who were in attendance was the Nissan Navara Dark Sky Concept. This truck is one that’s specially built to tow a special trailer that carries a telescope module to off-road locations. This truck was developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency to make sure it could handle the job and get the module to the location that would be used for viewing the heavens.

Truck and Trailer Matched Together

There were big knobby tires that were chosen for both the truck and the trailer to make sure both would make it to wherever the team needed this equipment. The truck is also fitted with a light bar, an integrated winch, and special red lighting. The importance of lowering the light pollution around the telescope is key, which is why the red lighting is being used for this truck. An upgraded Nissan ProPilot Assist system allows the truck to perform better in off-road situations as well. This system allows the truck to scan the surrounding terrain for the ideal place to put the trailer and aids in aligning the truck and the trailer when it’s time to drive again.

The Trailer is Extremely Cool

The Navara used for this application looks extremely similar to the one that’s offered as the production model. The coolest part of this setup is the trailer. The telescope that this truck tows on the trails are incredibly powerful and it’s capable of viewing distant galaxies. This telescope uses an interesting power source because it’s powered by a Nissan Leaf battery pack, making this an excellent way for Nissan to share its technology with the space program.

Will You Drive a Nissan

Now that you know which truck the European Space Agency chose for the drive and towing of this telescope, will you think of this story when you’re shopping for your next vehicle? choose the Nissan Leaf and realize the battery pack is being used by a powerful telescope or choose the Nissan Frontier and think about the fact that this truck, in its European form, is being used to pull the telescope and its trailer to distant locations to allow the team to view the distant galaxies.