Japan’s space agency says aspiring astronauts no longer need science degrees
- ‘For the new age, we will select astronauts based on whether they can adapt to their missions,’ the organisation says
- The rule change comes as it eyes expanding its range of activities for a future that may include a poet sent into space to extol the beauty of the stars
“For the new age, with eyes fixed towards lunar exploration, we will select astronauts based on whether they can adapt to their missions rather than whether they are science or humanities majors,” said Kazuyoshi Kawasaki, a senior official for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Human Spaceflight Technology department, during an online event in February.
JAXA, which will launch recruitment for its astronaut programme this autumn, has in the past looked only to groups such as medical doctors, engineers and pilots but sees future endeavours such as lunar exploration as providing a growing stage for astronaut activities.
At the same time, as it links up with the US-led efforts at lunar exploration, JAXA also faces the urgent task of ushering in a new generation as the average age of its astronauts is now 52.
In a recruitment plan announced in January, JAXA said it would accept graduates of universities, junior colleges, technical colleges and vocational schools, scrapping requirements that a person be a university graduate with a natural science degree and have experience of working three or more years in fields of natural science.
JAXA also is considering changing a prerequisite that successful applicants work at the agency for more than 10 years before they are permitted to become astronauts.
Astronauts in Japan, like those in other countries, will be able to pursue new careers such as schoolteachers and lawmakers in the future, it said. All applicants must have Japanese nationality.