In what NASA is calling a new “space race”, Japan could land on the Moon before China. US President Joe Biden has promised that the first non-American to land on the lunar surface would be a Japanese astronaut.
Under the April 10 plan outlined by Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumiyo Kishida, Japan will work closely with the United States to send one of its astronauts to the Moon, first in 2028 and then in 2032 as part of NASA’s Artemis missions.
This has put Japan in competition with China, which had previously announced plans to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
In what NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has repeatedly called a new “space race”, China also plans to build a joint lunar base with Russia by 2035.
Referring to China in previous weeks, Nelson said, “We believe that a lot of what they call a civilian space program is a military program. I actually think we’re in a race,” Nelson said.
Analysts told the South China Morning Post that Japan’s desire to land on the Moon before China could push Beijing to accelerate its own plans.
China has already accelerated its space program, successfully building its space station and planning to land a probe on the other side of the Moon in the coming days.
China could also begin searching for water at the Moon’s south pole with uncrewed missions planned for 2026 and 2028.
“China has made extraordinary progress, especially in the last 10 years, but it is very, very secretive,” Nelson said, repeatedly warning that China could claim the water resources on the Moon as its own.
“China has really put a lot of money into this and their budget has the potential to grow a lot. I think we should be cautious,” he added.
However, according to the White House, the proposed joint US-Japan mission would rely on Japanese expertise to operate a pressurized rover on the Moon, while the US would provide flight and astronaut training and “manage the risks of these challenging and inspiring missions to the lunar surface.”
“They are aware that they are competing with China in lunar exploration, so this will be a strengthened version of the Apollo program,” said Kazuto Suzuki, professor of science and technology policy at the University of Tokyo.
