Japan will select two astronauts to send to the Moon in 2028 or later from seven candidates after the Japanese science ministry and the U.S. space agency confirms flight opportunity allocations in the U.S.-led Artemis Moon exploration program.
The United States and Japan are making final arrangements to land a Japanese astronaut on the surface of the Moon for the first time, under a U.S.-led lunar exploration program.
Japanese astronauts Takuya Onishi and Kimiya Yui will travel separately to the International Space Station on long-term missions around 2025, the country's space agency says.
Japan's Koichi Wakata returned to Earth on Saturday along with three other astronauts aboard a U.S. SpaceX spacecraft, following a five-month stay at the International Space Station. Waka