by The first non-American to walk on the moon is a Japanese astronaut, based on a new agreement between the United States and Japan.
US President Joe Biden announced the target during a state visit by Japanese prime minister Kishida Fumio on Wednesday (April 10).
“The scientific and educational ties between Japan and the United States … extend up to the moon, where two Japanese astronauts will join American missions in the future, and one will be the first non-American ever to land on the moon,” said Biden, speaking from the Rose Garden at the White House.
“In the first half of the 1960s, when I was in the United States, it was the beginning of space development in the United States. I am one of all the people who were so excited in the United States by the great challenge in space ,” said Fumio. “Under the Artemis program, I welcome the moon landing by a Japanese astronaut as the first non-US astronaut.”
Related: NASA’s Artemis Program: Everything you need
To date, only 12 people — all Americans — have landed on the moon as part of NASA’s Apollo program, from 1969 to 1972. The US Artemis program seeks to return astronauts to the moon as soon as the end of 2025, and the focus is on the first landing. the program’s third mission in 2026.
The four-member Artemis 2 crew includes the first woman, the first person of color and the first non-American to fly to the moon, the second a Canadian.
The new Arrangement for the Implementation of Lunar Surface Exploration signed by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Masahito Moriyama does not specify which Artemis lunar landing missions will be carried out by NASA astronauts Japan (JAXA). flight, but notes that the flights are dependent on achieving “important benchmarks”.
“Japan will develop a pressurized rover for NASA use,” Nelson said in a video statement. “It will result in us covering ground that we have never covered before, because [the astronauts] Will be out and can stay for several days on the surface. That means covering it literally, scientifically and diplomatically.”
As of 2019, JAXA and Toyota are collaborating on the development of a pressurized lunar rover that incorporates Toyota’s fuel cell technology to power the vehicle. The “Lunar Cruiser,” named after Toyota’s Land Cruiser, is designed to serve as a camper van for multi-day trips.
“It’s a mobile habitat, it’s a lunar laboratory, a lunar house and a lunar probe. It’s a place where astronauts can live, work and navigate on the surface of the moon, leading to amazing discoveries for all of us,” Nelson said.
Japan will not only supply the new pressurized rover, but will also operate it on the lunar surface, with or without astronauts on board. The Lunar Cruiser, which will be launched by NASA and delivered to the moon, is expected to be ready by 2031 for use by the Artemis 7 crew and then serve on subsequent missions over a period of 10 years.
“The pressurized rover will greatly contribute to the overall architecture of Artemis as Japan and the United States go hand-in-hand with international and industry partners to the lunar surface and beyond,” said JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa. “JAXA stands ready to assist MEXT and push this forward with our scientific and technological expertise to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon.”
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The Japanese rover is intended to complement a smaller unpropelled vehicle now being developed by three US companies. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab are working on concepts for a Lunar Land Vehicle (LTV) for use by Artemis astronauts on shorter trips.
In addition to landing two Japanese astronauts on the moon, NASA and JAXA previously agreed to fly a JAXA crew member to the lunar orbit Gateway in exchange for Japan providing the platform’s environmental control and life support systems. focused on people, as well as increasing their freight transport needs.
JAXA currently has five active astronauts – Satoshi Furukawa, Akihiko Hoshide, Kimiya Yui, Takuya Onishi and Norishige Kanai – and in 2023, two more candidates – Makoto Suwa and Ayu Yoneda – were recruited to train for future moon missions.
“What better representation of the promise of partnership than President Biden’s announcement today that America will no longer walk on the moon,” Nelson said.
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