NASA Partners With JAXA For A Pressurized Lunar Rover

On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, was officially signed the contract between NASA and Japan for the development of a lunar rover with innovative technology.

It was NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Masahito Moriyama who signed this new engineering and futuristic partnership, with the presence of the president of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Hiroshi Yamakawa.

“The quest for the stars is led by nations that explore the cosmos openly, in peace, and together. This is true for the United States and Japan under the leadership of President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida. America no longer will walk on the Moon alone. With this new rover, we will uncover groundbreaking discoveries on the lunar surface that will benefit humanity and inspire the Artemis Generation,” explained NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

The Project

Japan will focus on designing, developing, and operating a rover suitable for manned and unmanned exploration of the Moon.

In the meantime, NASA will take care of the launch and therefore delivery of the rover to the Moon, as well as offering two opportunities for Japanese astronauts to participate in missions on the lunar surface. Likely, the first non-American astronaut to land on the moon with the future Artemis missions will be Japanese.

The pressurized lunar rover will be developed to extend astronauts’ ability to explore and work continuously on the surface of the Moon. Indeed, the lunar vehicle will be closed and pressurized allowing astronauts to explore more remote areas of the Moon and conduct scientific research in various geographical areas.

Moreover, the rover will be able to accommodate two crew members for up to 30 days as they explore the area near the lunar South Pole. Currently, NASA plans to use the pressurized rover on Artemis VII and subsequent missions, expecting an operational lifespan of about 10 years.

“It was an honor to sign the historic implementing arrangement that will be long remembered as the symbol of the new era of Japan-U.S. partnership for the lunar exploration. Under the partnership stronger than ever, we will drive the initiative together with JAXA, including the development of the pressurized rover that vastly extends the exploration capability on the lunar surface, to realize the shared goal for Japanese and American astronauts, to explore the moon together,” explained Moriyama.

NASA and JAXA: A collaboration that goes beyond the limits

There are numerous collaborative activities between the USA and Japan in the field of space exploration, ranging from space science to Earth research, from space operations to exploration, including mission safety.

In addition to the lunar exploration agreement, the partners have expanded their collaboration to include Japan’s presence in NASA’s Dragonfly mission and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Moreover, the United States and Japan plan to collaborate on JAXA’s next-generation solar observation satellite, SOLAR-C, to investigate the mysteries of solar atmospheres through observations of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation.

Notably, under the Gateway Implementing Arrangement signed in 2022, NASA will make space for a Japanese astronaut to participate as a Gateway crew member on a future Artemis mission, while Japan will provide environmental control and life support systems for the Gateway, in addition to the transport of goods.