Japan prepares to send its first astronaut to the moon

Japan and the U.S. said on Monday they want to send the first Japanese astronaut to the moon.How

According to Agence France-Presse, the two countries are deepening cooperation on space projects.

President Joe Biden, after his first face-to-face meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, said that the countries willwork together on the U.S.-led Artemis program to send humans to the moon and then to   Mars.

Biden said he was " excited" about the collaboration, including on the  Gateway program. Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (abbreviated as LOP-G, also known as Gateway).orbit the Moon and provide support for future missions.

"I'm excited about the work we'll do together at the Gateway around the Moon and look forward to seeing the first Japanese astronautwill join us on a mission to the surface of the Moon as part of the Artemis program," Biden said jointly at a press conference between the  two countries.

Japan's domestic space programfocused on satellites and probes, Japanese astronauts turned to the US and Russia to go to the International Space Station.

However, last year the space agencyJAXA has begun recruiting new astronauts for the first time in 13 years. The department eliminated the requirement that applicants have a scientific degree and encouraged women to apply. At the moment, all seven of the country's current astronauts are men.

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