Unmanned Landing Could Lead To More Rapid Development Of The Moon's Commercial Potential

Japan's space agency JAXA has set a target of landing an unmanned mission on the moon before the end of this decade, and analysts say if they are successful, it could have implications for the development of the Moon's commercial potential.

More ambitiously, JAXA says they hope to land a man on the moon by 2025, according to Japanese media.

The Washington Post reports that the Japanese space program has been stymied by tight budgets, but JAXA has presented the idea of the unmanned mission to the government's panel of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. That document said that there are "areas of unlimited potential yet to be developed, and to boost controls of future threats it is important to minimize the power vacuum in space exploration."

EIN Newsdesk reports that a due to the costs of both the unmanned and manned missions, JAXA could not afford a "one and one" approach to a trip to the moon. A series of repetitive missions with a commercial component would be necessary for funding to be secured for the plan. Ideas ranging from high-technology to tourism have been mentioned.

But EIN News speculates that adding Japan, with its expertise in such areas as microtechnology and robotics, to the mix of counties considering a Moon mission could mean significant progress towards a return to the Moon.

FMI: http://global.jaxa.jp/