Japan aims to become a space power

Japan once expressed hope to be able to send an astronaut to the surface Moon in the second half of the 2020s under the Artemis Program, NASA’s program to return humans to the Moon.

Japan also has an extensive space program, mainly focused on launchpad development and space exploration. However, Japan does not have a manned flight program and depends on Russia and the United States to send astronauts to space. Number of Japanese citizens visited International Space Station (ISS) is more than Russia and the US.

Space cooperation is likely to be mentioned during the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, according to Kyodo news agency. President Biden is visiting Japan this week, the second stop on his first Asia visit since he took office.

Japan’s space ambitions and investments are welcomed by the US as the US tries to maintain its lead in space. Beijing is expected to complete its first space station by the end of this year.

The Japan Aerospace Research and Development Agency (JAXA) last year resumed recruiting astronauts, for the first time in more than a decade, to revive the aging crew of astronauts.

Japan is expected to help the European Space Agency (ESA) build a habitat module for the US Gateway space station project in lunar orbit – which will be used to land on the Moon later.

Japan has also built the Kibo test module on the ISS and resupply missions sent into space by Tokyo’s heavy launch rockets.

Japan’s space activities were suspended at the end of World War II, but Tokyo still “feeds” the industry through large companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Mitsubishi Electric.

MHI rockets launched from Tanegashima Space Center off the island of Kyushu have sent many devices into space, including the Michibiki satellite that supports the US global positioning system (GPS) in Asia.

The launch of the new H3 rocket, developed by MHI and JAXA earlier this year, was delayed because of an engine failure.

The growth of the US private space industry, centered mainly on companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has transformed the market for launch services.

Japan also aims to create a growth environment for space startups such as space debris removal company Astroscale and Ispace, which are developing landers and space probes to explore the Moon.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa became the first private passenger to visit the ISS in more than a decade aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft in December 2021.