A representative of the Japanese Space Agency gave a lecture on Japan's plans for robotic exploration of the moon, as part of the EXPLORATION session of the International Astronautical Congress taking place in Daejeon, Korea.
A representative of the Japanese Space Agency gave a lecture on Japan's plans for robotic exploration of the moon, as part of the EXPLORATION session of the International Astronautical Congress taking place in Daejeon, Korea.
The planning status of the mission was presented, and several new details about the configuration of the Selene-2 spacecraft were revealed (see an image of the spacecraft). The Japanese lunar lander is scheduled to land on the moon in 2013 or 2014, followed by a more advanced research spacecraft that will include a robot to study the surface. This mission (for now called Selene X) is currently planned for 2017-18.
Japan's more distant goal is the exploitation of the moon's resources, and one of the slides in the Japanese presentation shows a plan for a manned base on the surface of the moon - and it is no coincidence that its estimated schedule coincides with the schedule of the US for returning to the moon.
The Selen 2 project is expected to cost the Japanese taxpayer about 430 million dollars, and as part of it, a lunar robot and a small satellite will be launched that will orbit the moon and help transfer data to Earth.
