America No Longer Walk on the Moon Alone

A Japanese astronaut may take giant steps on the Moon as early as 2028. Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, agreed with President of the United States, Joe Biden, on extending their global partnership to the space in their summit talk in Washington, DC, on April 10th. Both governments shared a goal for a Japanese national to be the first non-American astronaut to land on the Moon on a future Artemis mission, with Japan’s provision of a pressurized rover. Their global partnership is going to outer space. 

The Joint Leaders’ Statement welcomed the signing of a Lunar Surface Exploration Implementing Arrangement, in which Japan plans to provide and sustain operation of a pressurized lunar rover while US plans to allocate two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface Japan on future Artemis missions. “The United States and Japan plan to deepen cooperation on astronaut training to facilitate this goal while managing risks of these challenging and inspiring lunar surface missions” says the statement.

 

The arrangement was signed by Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masahito Moriyama, and Administrator of US National Astronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bill Nelson. According to an announcement of NASA, Nelson welcomed Japan’s participation to the mission, saying “America no longer will walk on the Moon alone.” “It was an honor to sign the historic implementing arrangement that will be long remembered as the symbol of the new era of Japan-US partnership for the lunar exploration,” said Moriyama.

 

Yomiuri Shimbun reported that US is planning human landing on the moon in September, 2026, for the first time since its Apollo mission about a half century ago, in which two Americans will land on the lunar South Pole.

 

A Japanese astronaut is going to join the landing in a mission in 2028 through the “gateway” set in the sky of the Moon. A Japanese carmaker, Toyota, is developing the rover called “Lunar Cruiser,” on which the driver does not need to wear spacesuit. NASA plans to use the pressurized rover, which enable the astronauts accommodate for up to thirty days.

 

“With this new rover, we will uncover groundbreaking discoveries on the lunar surface that will benefit humanity and inspire the Artemis Generation,” said Nelson. However, the cooperation between United States and Japan is recognized as a counteraction against China, which shows fast progress in development of the space.

 

Japan achieved moon landing by sending SLIM to the Moon in January. Japan’s technology on unmanned landing may contribute to the bilateral space cooperation with US. Japan is going to promote the process of selecting the first Japanese astronaut to land on the Moon.

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