Japan wants to go to the moon with an unmanned vehicle in 2019

While most space agencies have turned their attention to Mars, Japan is coming up with plans to visit the moon again. An unmanned vehicle is due to land in 2019, making Japan the fourth country to achieve such a feat if it succeeds.

The Japanese edition of The Wall Street Journal reports plans for the unmanned moon mission. Preparations for the space journey should start next year, although the launch is not expected until 2019. The main purpose of the plans seems to be prestige: a Japanese government-appointed committee on space affairs says the moon landing should put Japan back on the map when it comes to exploring the universe.

For example, the Japanese space agency wants to impress with a new lunar lander that must be able to position itself on the surface with great precision. The technology developed by the Japanese should make it possible to land within 100 meters of the planned location, something that other lunar landers have not been able to achieve. To be able to land with great precision, special scanners have been developed that accurately measure the lunar surface. Based on these measurements, course changes can be initiated upon landing.

The Japanese government wants to use the coming period to get feedback from the population about the proposed moon landing. The precise plans must be laid down within a year.