Not Of This World – US AFFIRMS Big Mission With Japan
(ConservativeHub.com) – President Joe Biden was in Japan on May 23. According to a statement on the White House website, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Biden announced “progress in collaboration” to work on a space program to put people from both nations on the moon. The plan is significant because only Americans have ever set foot on the moon’s surface.
Biden said Japanese and Americans would work together on the Gateway facility and in the development of space projects. The nations will combine efforts on the Artemis program, through which Japan may be able to put a person on the moon, a goal the nation wants to reach by the end of the 2020s.
The agreement to send US and Japanese astronauts to the moon was first announced back in 2019 under former President Donald Trump. The US is leading the program, which has plans to go to Mars in addition to the moon.
The US and Japan agree to work to put the first Japanese astronaut on the moon, accompanied by an American astronaut, as the longtime allies develop a partnership aimed at countering China https://t.co/DsvUAWzhaQ
— Bloomberg (@business) May 24, 2022
According to CBS News, Japan’s space program, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has been revamping over the last year. Stars and Stripes reported the country increased its space exploration budget by more than 20% in 2021. The agency reinstated recruitment procedures, which had stalled 13 years ago. It’s even actively encouraging women to join the program because seven male astronauts comprise the current lineup. JAXA also lifted the requirement for participants to hold a degree in science to make the recruitment process easier.
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