A Japanese national will be the first non-American astronaut to land on the Moon on a future mission, U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday following a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
In a symbolic announcement to demonstrate the robust U.S.-Japan relationship, Biden underscored at a press conference in Washington that cooperation between the two countries has stretched all the way to outer space.
A joint statement released by Biden and Kishida, laying out more than 70 deliverables of the meeting, said the two countries are "leading the way to explore our solar system and return to the Moon."
Under a deal signed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, and Japan's science ministry, the United States will allocate two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface for Japan on future Artemis missions.
Although the timing of the opportunities will be determined by NASA, officials have said the first Japanese astronaut will be selected at an early date for a flight possibly in 2028 or thereafter.
"It's the next chapter in the cosmic partnership between our two nations," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a press conference in Washington. "America will no longer walk on the Moon alone. We are going and we are very proud to go with Japan."
Japan, in return, will contribute to the U.S.-led missions by providing and sustaining operation of a pressurized lunar rover, which the country's space agency has been trying to develop with Toyota Motor Corp.
Such a rover, which astronauts would be able to drive without wearing a spacesuit, would dramatically expand the range of travel on the lunar surface.
The Artemis program aims to send U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface in September 2026, marking the first time in over half a century since the Apollo missions. The 12 astronauts who landed on the Moon were all white American men, but this time women and non-white astronauts are due to be selected.
The second Japanese astronaut will be chosen based on the timing of the rover's arrival to the Moon, according to Japanese officials. The vehicle, dubbed the Lunar Cruiser, could be sent to the Moon in 2031 and used for 10 years.
Japan's science minister Masahito Moriyama said at the same press conference that the country's cooperation with the United States on lunar exploration "will begin to take concrete shape" thanks to the latest agreement, and pledged continued efforts in the Artemis project.
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