TOKYO, Japan -- One of the strongest contenders in space explorations, Japan, has decided to join forces with another key player in the race in space -- India -- to discover what nobody thought was possible on the surface of the moon -- water. The two countries are putting together an unmanned rover to the moon and the target to make this happen falls as early as fiscal year of 2023.
Frozen water has always been believed to be in existence on the surface of the moon. They exist inside the craters of the moon as well as in other areas of the poles where the sun's rays do not reach. The government plans to use the rovers to excavate such areas for further exploration. They are hopeful that when they start to excavate, they will be able to see which parts of the moon contain water and which ones do not.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have already met to discuss the plans on the project. The Committee on National Space Policy and other governing agencies are set to begin the discussion on the collaborative project before making any announcement official.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, head of the Strategic Headquarters For National Space Policy, decided last month that the proposed Japan-India space expedition collaboration has made its lunar exploration a top priority. As it scheduled its Basic Plan of Space Policy revision towards the end of this year, the government aims to include the moon collaboration to be the top most priority among projects that have been lined up.
Japan will be providing the rocket that will help launch the unmanned space capsules while it is also developing the newest lunar rover, while India will be develop the proper lander for the mission. The H3 launch vehicle of Japan, which is currently under development, with be sending the rover and the lander to the moon's south pole. This is the part of the moon where water is believed to be found. The rover by Indian technology will be on the ground to explore at most 500 m of square space to help it detect the presence of water with is analysis system attached onboard.
The exploration to the moon may not be the first, but it may prove to be the most coveted and the most useful. The more that we learn about the moon, the less people will have to worrya bout.
