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The first non-American to walk on the moon — assuming China doesn’t get there first — will be a Japanese astronaut, the U.S. announced yesterday.
The news dashes any remaining hopes that a Canadian would hold that position. However, the first non-American to orbit the moon, on the Artemis 2 mission scheduled for launch next year, will be Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
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To date, 24 people have made the 400,000 kilometre journey to Earth’s natural satellite, and 12 have walked on its surface. All were white male Americans, travelling as part of the Apollo program, between 1968 and 1972.
That will change with the launch of Artemis 2, whose crew also includes the first Black man (Victor J. Glover) and the first woman (Christina Koch) to make the trek. The fourth member of the crew is the commander, Reid Wiseman. Fellow Canadian astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons has been named as Hansen’s backup.
The announcement of Japan’s contribution to the lunar exploration program came during a state visit to the U.S. by Japan’s prime minister, Kishida Fumio. NASA says at least two Japanese astronauts will participate in future moonwalks.
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“In the first half of the 1960s, when I was in the United States, it was the dawn of space development in the United States. I am one of all those who were so excited in the U.S. by the spectacular challenge in space,” said Fumio, 66. “Under the Artemis program, I welcome the lunar landing by a Japanese astronaut as the first non-U.S. astronaut.”
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The agreement, technically the Lunar Surface Exploration Implementing Arrangement and signed by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masahito Moriyama, does not specify on what Artemis lunar landings missions the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts will fly, though it does specify that the flights rely on meeting “important benchmarks.”
That includes the development of a pressurized rover, distinct from the Apollo-era rover, which required astronauts to wear spacesuits while driving it.
“It is going to lead us to cover ground we’ve never covered before, because (the astronauts) will be out and can stay for several days on the surface,” Nelson said in a video statement. “That means cover it literally, scientifically and diplomatically.”
JAXA and Toyota have been working together to develop a lunar rover that uses Toyota’s fuel cell technology for power. The so-called Lunar Cruiser, a nod to Toyota’s earthbound Land Cruiser, will operate as a kind of camper van. It’s been in development since 2019, and is expected to be ready by 2031 for use by the crew of Artemis 7. Like all future rovers it will be capable of remote-controlled operations when there is no one on the moon.
“It is a mobile habitat, it’s a lunar lab, a lunar home and a lunar explorer,” said Nelson. “It’s a place where astronauts can live, work and navigate the lunar surface, leading to magnificent discoveries for all of us.”
In addition to landing two Japanese astronauts on the moon, NASA previously gave Japan a space on the lunar Gateway, a space station that will orbit the moon and provide a waystation for landings. In return, Japan will provide Gateway’s environmental control and life support systems.
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