Japan To Choose Its First Astronaut For Mission On The Moon

JAKARTA - Japan will select its first astronaut to land on the moon on a moon landing mission led by the United States.

The mission will involve seven astronauts, including two candidates selected last year who were considered to join the team.

Reported by ANTARA from Jiji-OANA, Friday, April 12, the Japan JAXA Aerospace Exploration Agency stated that no decisions had yet been made, including the method of selecting astronauts who would take part in the Artemis lunar exploration mission.

A Japanese astronaut is scheduled to participate in the Artemis 4 mission scheduled for 2028 due to the Artificial 3 mission planned for 2026 being the first manned landing mission to be manned by two US astronauts.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden agreed that Japanese citizens become the first non-US astronauts to set foot on the moon.

Japan will provide a pressure rover called the Lunar Cruiser which will serve as a base for staying and exploring the moon, in exchange for two Japanese astronauts to land on the moon.

The rover is expected to be delivered to the moon in 2031, and operated by Japan for 10 years.