New Delhi: Japan and the United States announced Monday that they want to send the first Japanese astronaut to the Moon, news agency AFP reported. This comes as the allies deepen cooperation on space projects.
No non-American has ever set foot on Earth's natural satellite. Earlier, Japan had said it hopes to achieve a Moon landing by the end of this decade.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, recently met Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo face-to-face for the first time. Biden said that the United States and Japan will work together in the US-led Artemis programme to send humans to the Moon, and later to Mars, according to an AFP report.
Biden On Space Collaboration Between US And Japan
Biden expressed his excitement about the collaboration, including on the Gateway facility, which will orbit the Moon and provide support to astronauts for future missions. He also said he looks forward to the first Japanese astronaut joining the US on the mission to the lunar surface under the Artemis programme.
"I'm excited (about) the work we'll do together in the Gateway station around the Moon, and look forward to the first Japanese astronaut joining us on the mission to the lunar surface under the Artemis," the report quoted Biden as saying in a joint press conference.
Why Have Japanese Astronauts Turned To US And Russia To Travel To ISS?
Japanese astronauts have turned to the US and Russia to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) because the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) focuses on satellites and probes.
Last year, JAXA launched its first recruitment of new astronauts in 13 years.
The space agency lifted the requirement that applicants have a science degree, and urged women to apply because all seven of the nation's current astronauts are men. These are: Soichi Noguchi, Akihiko Hoshide, Naoko Yamazaki, Satoshi Furukawa, Kimiya Yui, Takuya Onishi, and Norishige Kanai.