Wednesday, April 6, 2005 at 14:18 JST
TOKYO — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has compiled a long-term space exploration program, which calls for launching a domestically designed manned spacecraft to the moon by 2025, JAXA officials said Wednesday.

JAXA will complete a rocket for human spaceflight within 10 years based on the technologies being developed for the domestically made H-2A rocket. The government-affiliated agency will then design a reusable manned space vehicle that incorporates the same technologies as an unmanned transfer vehicle used for ferrying cargo to international space stations which is under development now. (Kyodo News)



http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=4&id=333219

Wow - this would be really cool if the US hadn't done it 50 years earlier. They should at least try to get to Mars or something.

Wow - this would be really cool if the US hadn't done it 50 years earlier. They should at least try to get to Mars or something.
Yeah, that was my reaction too.

I'm glad to see them working on space-related things, but... yeah... the moon? Been there; done that.

The only difference is that they would be using reusable vehicles, unlike the one-time-use rockets and lunar modules that we used.

But then... we've had the reusable shuttle for years, too.

:confused: