Manned Space Exploration: Demonstrate the Presence of Japanese Technology
The U.S. successfully completed a manned flight around the moon, making significant progress for humankind toward a lunar landing for the first time in about half a century. It is time for Japan, which participated in the project, to firmly reinforce its strategy.
The NASA spaceship Orion finished its moon-orbiting trip of about 10 days and returned safely, marking a splendidly successful first manned trip of the lunar exploration Artemis II program, spearheaded by the U.S.
It is significantly meaningful that after two years, the path to a lunar landing has been opened for the first time since the Apollo project. We hope that the remaining issues, such as the development of a landing module, will be overcome, and that steps toward returning to the moon's surface will advance.
However, there are also concerns. The project details and timing have been repeatedly revised, which has impacted international cooperation with participating countries such as Japan.
It was expected that, for the first time, a Japanese person would land on the moon in the second half of the 2020s, but due to program delays, the timeline has become uncertain. The timing of a lunar landing is a matter of great interest to citizens, and it also impacts astronaut training programs. We would like NASA to clarify the schedule.
The impact of canceling construction plans for a base called “Gateway,” a manned base circling the moon, is also grave. It was to be a core facility as part of the Artemis program, but U.S. competition with China led to a policy change that prioritized constructing lunar surface bases.
Japan was to be responsible for developing the life support system necessary to inhabit the Gateway, and for furnishing supplies, and Japanese people were also expected to stay there. A drastic strategy reassessment is inevitable.
The Artemis program requires lots of money and high technology. The U.S. should keep in mind that international cooperation is essential and emphasize coordination with participating countries. Japan is one of the nations that declared its participation at the project's inception and established a path to international cooperation, so it should have strengthened its voice and influence.
Toward this end, Japan should polish up its unique technology. The lunar water resource probe that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency developed, and the lunar rover that it is developing jointly with Toyota Motor Corporation, are critical technologies for sustained activity on the moon's surface. We hope that there will be solidly successful results that will boost Japan's presence.
Without clear international rules for using the lunar surface's resources, there is concern about a first-come, first-served competitive struggle. We want Japan to take a proactive role in devising rules.
The U.S. has declared that it will invest roughly $25 billion over the next seven years to build a lunar base, but Japan has not indicated any cost prediction for lunar exploration. The Japanese government should explain to its citizens concrete plans for the future that include costs.
The NASA spaceship Orion finished its moon-orbiting trip of about 10 days and returned safely, marking a splendidly successful first manned trip of the lunar exploration Artemis II program, spearheaded by the U.S.
It is significantly meaningful that after two years, the path to a lunar landing has been opened for the first time since the Apollo project. We hope that the remaining issues, such as the development of a landing module, will be overcome, and that steps toward returning to the moon's surface will advance.
However, there are also concerns. The project details and timing have been repeatedly revised, which has impacted international cooperation with participating countries such as Japan.
It was expected that, for the first time, a Japanese person would land on the moon in the second half of the 2020s, but due to program delays, the timeline has become uncertain. The timing of a lunar landing is a matter of great interest to citizens, and it also impacts astronaut training programs. We would like NASA to clarify the schedule.
The impact of canceling construction plans for a base called “Gateway,” a manned base circling the moon, is also grave. It was to be a core facility as part of the Artemis program, but U.S. competition with China led to a policy change that prioritized constructing lunar surface bases.
Japan was to be responsible for developing the life support system necessary to inhabit the Gateway, and for furnishing supplies, and Japanese people were also expected to stay there. A drastic strategy reassessment is inevitable.
The Artemis program requires lots of money and high technology. The U.S. should keep in mind that international cooperation is essential and emphasize coordination with participating countries. Japan is one of the nations that declared its participation at the project's inception and established a path to international cooperation, so it should have strengthened its voice and influence.
Toward this end, Japan should polish up its unique technology. The lunar water resource probe that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency developed, and the lunar rover that it is developing jointly with Toyota Motor Corporation, are critical technologies for sustained activity on the moon's surface. We hope that there will be solidly successful results that will boost Japan's presence.
Without clear international rules for using the lunar surface's resources, there is concern about a first-come, first-served competitive struggle. We want Japan to take a proactive role in devising rules.
The U.S. has declared that it will invest roughly $25 billion over the next seven years to build a lunar base, but Japan has not indicated any cost prediction for lunar exploration. The Japanese government should explain to its citizens concrete plans for the future that include costs.
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