30 June, 2017
After a long journey and history of countries and space station sending their astronauts to the moon, Japan has now planned to send a man to the at the most by 2030.
As per a new proposal by the government's Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), it is the first time Japan has made a decision to send Japanese astronauts beyond the International Space Station (ISS) to become a part of an international mission.
By contributing technology, JAXA would hope to be allotted a space on the mission, which would begin preparation in 2025.
Japan's announcement has some pretty interesting timing, considering neighboring China is just starting to expand on its space interests. Japan already has had astronauts visit the International Space Station, and JAXA's Koichi Wakata is a veteran of several different space missions as well as a resident of the ISS for almost 350 days. India sent a probe to Mars in 2014.
Japan's 2030 Man to Moon Mission
In November, China's Shenzhou-11 spacecraft returned to Earth, bringing home two astronauts from the rising power's longest-ever orbital mission.
The US also has ambitious plans for further space travel with NASA, backed by a bill passed in March by Congress, planning to send astronauts to Mars by 2033.
The anticipated space station in the Moon's orbit will play a key role in enabling travel to the planet, acting as a base from which to launch missions. The echoing Cold War in terms space race is set to give rise to many such prestige establishing mission.
