Major enhancement of lunar exploration project November 28 at 18:22 on the national space policy schedule
The moon exploration project is expected to be significantly strengthened after the drafting of the national space policy process chart for the next fiscal year and the official announcement that Japan will participate in the US lunar exploration plan.
The national space policy committee, which is made up of experts, is working to revise the schedule for implementing the space policy every year at this time, and the committee on the 28th has compiled a draft of the schedule for the next year and beyond.
In the draft of the process schedule, the plans for various satellites under development and scientific exploration plans are summarized in 53 items, especially in the new space station and lunar exploration plan that goes around the moon that the United States advances. In response to the official announcement that has participated, the “International Space Exploration” section has been expanded.
Among them, we will develop equipment to be provided to a new space station and deliver it to the United States by fiscal 2023, and in order to deliver goods to the new space station, we will proceed with the development of unmanned space transportation ships and automatically docking The lunar exploration project has been greatly strengthened, such as the development of a spacecraft that can operate in the South Pole of the Moon in cooperation with India, etc. .
In addition, the H3 rocket, which is being developed as a new main rocket in Japan, will be equipped with the Earth observation satellite "Daichi 3" in the first unit scheduled to be launched next year.
In addition, in 2022 we will conduct technical demonstrations for removing garbage in outer space, such as artificial satellites that have been used, in collaboration with private companies.
The draft of this schedule is expected to be formally decided after deliberation at the Space Development Strategy Headquarters scheduled for December.
“We have created a process schedule that allows Japan to strategically promote space development, taking into account the latest social conditions,” said Noriyuki Kasai, chairman of the Space Policy Committee.