Coopération internationale pour le retour d’astronautes sur la Lune

The American Artemis program aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon, and plans to send the first woman and the first person of color there. Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo program took 12 American men to the Moon, all white. They are the only 12 people to have set foot on the lunar surface.

“America will not walk on the Moon alone anymore,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a video posted on social media on Wednesday. “Diplomacy is good for discoveries. And discoveries are good for diplomacy,” he added. The first Artemis mission to send astronauts back to the lunar surface, Artemis 3, is scheduled for 2026. China, on the other hand, plans to send humans to the Moon by 2030.

Close cooperation

Tokyo and Washington already cooperate closely in the space sector, particularly in the operations of the International Space Station. The two countries have said they plan to “deepen their cooperation on astronaut training” to achieve their new goal, according to a joint statement from both leaders. However, for a Japanese astronaut to actually become the first non-American on the Moon, “significant steps” will have to be taken, according to the statement.

The rover that Japan will provide will be pressurized, unlike the lunar vehicles ordered by NASA from American private companies. In a pressurized rover, astronauts will not need to wear suits and will be able to cover greater distances. “This is a mobile habitat, a laboratory, a home, and a lunar explorer,” Bill Nelson said. Two astronauts should be able to live there for up to 30 consecutive days, NASA said, hoping to be able to use it starting from the Artemis 7 mission.

Artemis 3, first manned mission to the lunar surface since 1972

The European Space Agency (ESA) is also expected to be given seats on Artemis missions in exchange for significant technological contributions. The Artemis program was launched in 2022 with Artemis 1, which successfully flew a spacecraft empty around the Moon. Artemis 2 is scheduled for 2025 and is set to send four astronauts on a journey around the Moon, without landing. This will involve three Americans and one Canadian, who are already undergoing training.

Artemis 3 is then planned to be the first manned mission to land on the lunar surface since 1972. The composition of its crew is not yet known. When asked by AFP about the mission in which a first Japanese astronaut would take part, NASA simply replied that no crew announcements have been made beyond Artemis 2. Japan also became the fifth country in January to successfully land on the Moon by landing a robot there.