Nasa has asked Japan to design a pressurised rover for crewed and uncrewed exploration on the Moon, with a Japanese astronaut to become the first non-American to land on the lunar surface.
The rover is intended to enable astronauts to travel farther and work for longer periods while exploring the Moon. It will also function as a mobile habitat and laboratory for the astronauts to live and work in for extended periods of time.
It will be able to accommodate two astronauts for up to 30 days as they traverse the area near the lunar South Pole. Nasa currently plans to use the pressurised rover on Artemis VII and subsequent missions over an approximate 10-year lifespan.
The project is part of Nasa’s Artemis programme, which was formally established in 2017 during the Trump administration. It launched its first uncrewed mission in November last year using the long-delayed Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
It aims to establish a crewed base near the lunar South Pole, where subsurface water ice is likely to be abundant, by the end of the decade.
Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said: “The quest for the stars is led by nations that explore the cosmos openly, in peace and together. This is true for the US and Japan under the leadership of President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida.
“America no longer will walk on the Moon alone. With this new rover, we will uncover ground-breaking discoveries on the lunar surface that will benefit humanity and inspire the Artemis Generation.”
In a newly signed framework, Japan and the US made various agreements including working on space and Earth science together, as well as space operations and exploration.
Hiroshi Yamakawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), said: “The pressurised rover will be a powerful contribution to the overall Artemis architecture as Japan and the US go hand in hand with international and industry partners to the lunar surface and beyond.”
Nasa will provide an opportunity for a Japanese astronaut to serve as a Gateway crew member on a future Artemis mission, and Japan will provide Gateway’s environmental control and life support systems and cargo transportation.
The Artemis II mission was originally planned to take place later this year and would have been the first scheduled crewed mission of the Artemis programme, with four astronauts performing a flyby of the Moon before returning to Earth. This would have been followed by a crewed landing on the Moon in 2025.
However, the US Government Accountability Office recently concluded that neither mission was likely to happen on time due to multiple challenges with the development of the human landing system and the space suits.
