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Japan to deliver space vehicle on Moon by 2018: Report

Sunday, 19 April 2015 1:43 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 19 April 2015 1:44 PM ]

Japan's H-IIA rocket lifts off from the launch pad of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center at Takegashima Island in Kagaoshima prefecture, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on December 3, 2014. ©AFP

Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to deliver its first spacecraft on the Moon’s surface within three years, local media outlets reported.

The agency is expected to submit its preliminary plans for launching the lander to a government space policy committee on Monday, local daily Sankei Shimbun reported Sunday.

It added that a more detailed plan for the project to land the unmanned spacecraft known as SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) is expected in the summer.

According to the daily, SLIM is planned to be launched with the assistance of JAXA's Epsilon-5 carrier rocket, which will be a key aspect in the accumulation of technology for Japan’s future explorations on Mars.

The report said the cost estimate for the project will range between USD 8 billion and USD 12.5 billion and JAXA is scheduled to begin drawing from the state budget in next fiscal year.

In 2007, Japan launched the so-called Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE), better known in Japan as Kaguya, into the lunar orbit in a bid to closely study the Moon's surface in detail.

The Japanese daily further reported that the new space probe by SLIM will exhibit an ability to swiftly assess surface topography and identify potential obstacles to landing.

The United States, the former Soviet Union and China are the only three countries to have ever landed a spacecraft on the Moon.

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