NASA, Japan Consider Joint Crewed Moon Missions

Japan may join NASA in the American agency's push to bring humans to the moon, NASA said in a statement.

If the two agencies partner on missions, Japan may assist with NASA's missions on the Gateway — a lunar space station — and, perhaps, with astronaut excursions on the surface. President Donald Trump's administration has tasked NASA to land humans on the moon again by 2024.

In exchange, NASA may provide a spot for Japanese cubesats on the first NASA Artemis mission. Artemis I will see an uncrewed spacecraft loop around the moon before returning to Earth in a flight scheduled for no earlier than mid-2020. NASA may also collaborate on a future Japanese robotic mission known as Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM), which will be trying techniques for pinpoint landings.

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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine signed a joint statement on cooperation on lunar exploration on Sept. 24 with Hiroshi Yamakawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

"The moon is the first major step to putting astronauts on Mars," Bridenstine said in a statement. "Expanding collaboration between NASA and JAXA to advance human lunar surface activities ultimately will lead to further exploration of Mars — something that will benefit not only our two countries, but all of humanity."

Japan and NASA are already partners on several missions, including the ongoing crewed International Space Station program. Japan has sent several astronauts to the orbiting complex. It has also sent the station's Kibo module, a robotic arm, a small satellite-launching facility and numerous cargo ships — not to mention experiments and equipment.  

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Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.