TOKYO - Four astronauts who orbited the Moon aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft have returned to Earth. The mission, Artemis II, is part of the U.S.-led Artemis program, in which Japan also participates. A planned flight test with a lunar lander in Earth orbit is planned in 2027 for Artemis III and crewed lunar landings from 2028 for Artemis IV.
More than half a century has passed since Apollo 11's first human lunar landing in 1969. Although the latest Artemis flight followed a different trajectory, it corresponds to Apollo 8, which orbited the Moon 10 times in 1968. Following additional test flights with Apollo 9 and 10, it took only seven months to reach Apollo 11's landing, and six missions through the final Apollo 17 were carried out within three and a half years, an overwhelming display of speed and technological prowess.
The Apollo program was driven by the U.S.-Soviet Cold War, and the race to the Moon symbolized the rivalry between the two superpowers. At one point, nearly 5 percent of the federal budget was allocated to it, but the program ended with Apollo 17 amid the deepening quagmire of the Vietnam War.
The Artemis program is an evolved form of the International Space Station, aiming to widen sustained human activity from the Earth orbit to the Moon. It envisions a step-by-step approach from lunar exploration and resource development to human space flight to Mars. NASA hopes to lay the groundwork on the lunar surface over the next decade to make future sustained human activity possible. It is a large-scale international undertaking, with private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin expected to develop key elements including lunar landers.
China has announced plans to send people to the Moon by 2030, and the motivation behind the Artemis program is gradually shifting toward this competition. While this could be viewed as a return to the Cold War with a different adversary, the current geopolitical landscape is far more complex than the Cold War era.
Against this backdrop, the United States is shifting policy toward securing an advantage over China, including plans to accelerate a lunar landing, cancel the Gateway lunar orbital station and prioritize developing a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface. The Artemis international partners will also be affected by such changes, as private-sector contributions are still in their early stages.
Japan is already responsible for key components such as a crewed lunar rover, and it has agreed with the United States that two Japanese will travel to the Moon. To secure a strong position within the program, Japan must expand its space activities and develop advanced technologies to maintain its presence on the international stage.
What has advanced over the past half-century? There are many possible debates. For example, has humanity become wiser and does human lunar exploration have any meaning? In the long run, however, lunar development is undoubtedly a milestone in humanity's expansion into space. Overall, this development should be viewed positively as it creates opportunities for young people to play active roles.
Many of my generation and colleagues were inspired by the Apollo Moon landing to pursue careers in space and advance Japan's space activities. Today, Japan is shifting from a traditional government-led model to a private sector-led one, aiming to promote space business. However, the human resources in Japan necessary to expand space activities are severely lacking.
What inspires young people today? I hope the Artemis program and Japan's contributions will motivate the next generation to pursue space activities with high ideals and determination.
(Yoshifumi Inatani, born in 1953, is a professor emeritus at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency specializing in aerospace engineering. He completed graduate studies at the University of Tokyo. He also served as deputy director of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science and as a special adviser to JAXA.)
