Amid rivalry with China, Japan is aiming for the moon – and beyond
- Tokyo plans to double its current US$11 billion space programme by the next decade, driven by defence considerations and the quest for resources
- One component of the policy is collaboration with Nasa’s Artemis programme, which looks to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024
The plan calls for the private sector to play a bigger role in space development and technology, with one component of the policy being cooperation with Nasa on its Artemis programme, which aims to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024. Tokyo hopes that a Japanese astronaut will be on one of the early missions.
Japan also intends to make use of its advanced robotic technology to explore the moon in search of water, in the form of ice, that will be needed to sustain the first colonists on the Earth’s nearest neighbour.
Tokyo also plans to step up defence cooperation with Washington by increasing the number of intelligence-gathering satellites, primarily to monitor the developing threats posed by China and North Korea, such as the deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“Japan put all its eggs in the International Space Station basket, which has been very expensive, but that has allowed them to understand their strengths so they are very comfortable in the area of robotics, for example,” said Lance Gatling, a Tokyo-based aerospace analyst.
He said that while Japanese technology was “very sophisticated and reliable”, it was also far more expensive than systems developed by other countries, meaning Japan had lagged behind its rivals in the commercial space market.