Japan and NASA to cooperate on Moon exploration plan

NASA has awarded Astrolab a contract to develop a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) which will help Artemis astronauts explore more of the Moon’s surface on future missions

Japan’s science minister Masahito Moriyama said Tuesday he will travel to the United States to sign a deal later this week with NASA affirming Tokyo’s cooperation on a U.S.-led lunar exploration program.

The Artemis program aims to send U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface in 2026 for the first time in over half a century, and Moriyama and Bill Nelson, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, are expected to agree on a deal that also includes two Japanese astronauts traveling to the Moon.

Their meeting comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden are scheduled to hold a summit in Washington on Wednesday.

Additionally, Japan plans to provide a lunar rover for traveling the Moon’s surface that astronauts can drive without wearing a spacesuit and in which they can sleep. Toyota Motor Corp. is spearheading its development.

Japan will also transport supplies to Gateway, a lunar-orbiting outpost planned under the program.

Besides returning humans to the Moon and advancing lunar exploration, the ultimate goal of the Artemis program is to explore Mars.