Japan and the US announced that they plan to send the first Japanese astronaut to the Moon Monday. No one other than an American has ever set foot on the Moon, and Japan has previously said that one of its goals it make a lunar landing before the end of this decade.
Joe Biden Said US and Japan Will Bring People to Moon, Mars
Following his first face-to-face meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, President Joe Biden stated that the two countries will cooperate on the US-led Artemis program to bring people to the Moon and Mars.
Biden expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, including work on the Gateway facility, which will circle the Moon and assist future expeditions.
"I'm excited (about) the work we'll do together on the Gateway Station around the Moon, and look forward to the first Japanese astronaut joining us on the mission to the lunar surface under the Artemis program," he said at a joint press conference.
Since taking office in October, Kishida has made it a goal to place "Japanese boots on the moon." He updated Japan's space strategy to include a goal of landing a Japanese astronaut on the Moon by the 2020s.
"We will promote the Artemis project to perform manned activities on the Moon. In the late 2020s, we will try to realize the lunar landing of Japanese astronauts," the Japanese prime minister said per Space News.
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Japan's domestic space program is focused on satellites and probes, so Japanese astronauts have had to rely on the United States and Russia to go to the International Space Station.
However, the Japanese space agency JAXA aims to revitalize its workforce after launching its first recruitment of new astronauts in 13 years last year.
Since all seven of the country's existing astronauts are men, it removed the requirement that candidates have a scientific degree and encouraged women to apply.
About Artemis Mission
NASA proposed the Artemis lunar exploration project as a successor to the Apollo mission, transporting 12 people to the Moon from 1969 to 1972.
The project will include a tiny space station called Gateway circling the Moon, residential and power generating facilities, and a lunar rover.
In October 2019, the Japanese government declared its participation in the project, aiming to become the second country to land an astronaut on the Moon.
According to Kyodo News, Japan wants to convey supplies using unmanned supply boats under the initiative, which is also supported by Europe.
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