Japan's moon base project faces funding hurdle
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Boosted by a return to success for its satellite launch program and needled by China's achievements, Japan's space agency wants to put a manned space station on the moon, though it may struggle to raise funds.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) unveiled a long-term vision on Wednesday that included a drawing showing how Japanese astronauts and robots might look working together on the moon in 2025.
The plan, presented to a Science Ministry committee, comes amid relief for the agency after the success of its latest satellite launch in February, 15 months after an embarrassing rocket failure that resulted in the loss of two spy satellites intended for scrutinizing secretive North Korea.
The fiasco was doubly humiliating for Japan as it came weeks after China put a man in space, a feat that Japan, despite its reputation for technical prowess, has never attempted.
JAXA says it would need a hefty increase in budget and personnel to carry out its proposals, which may be hard to secure given Japan's 751 trillion yen ($6,937 billion) national debt.
"As scientists, we want to experiment with everything, including manned flight, if we can get the money," said Taketoshi Hibiya of the aerospace engineering department at Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology. "Unfortunately, the country's budget is in a bad way at the moment."
JAXA said it needs 250-280 billion yen a year to move forward with its plans, against last year's budget of 179 billion yen.
The agency said in its plan that satellite surveys of the moon should be carried out within the next 10 years to enable Japan to decide whether to try to develop the moon.
A moon base project might be a good way to catch the public imagination and boost support for Japan's space program, aerospace professor Hibiya said, but he was dubious about its practical value.
"If you are hoping to exploit energy resources for example, the question is whether you gain more energy than you expend getting to the moon and back," he said.
China's state media say it has abandoned plans to send astronauts to the moon for financial reasons.
Other items on JAXA's long-term agenda include creating an aircraft capable of traveling at five times the speed of sound.
'''April 6, 2005'''

Japan said it would decide within 10 years whether it would pursue its moon program on its own, or if it would team up with other nations.
Japan announced on Wednesday a program to send astronauts to the moon by 2025. The plan calls for the establishment of a moon base that would be operated by Japanese astronauts and robots.

"Until now, the question has been, 'Can Japan develop its own manned spaceship?' We will know the answer in another 10 years," JAXA Chairman Keiji Tachikawa told the ''Associated Press''.

The plan includes the development of robots and nanotechnology, and calls for the design of a space vehicle to carry passengers and cargo to the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) asked for a budget increase to about US$2.6 billion a year to fund the program.

Aerospace professor Taketoshi Hibiya, who works at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology, questioned the value of going to the moon.

No country has sent a manned mission to the moon since the Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s.
"If you are hoping to exploit energy resources for example, the question is whether you gain more energy than you expend getting to the moon and back," Hibiya told ''Reuters''. "As scientists, we want to experiment with everything, including manned flight, if we can get the money," he said. "Unfortunately, the country's budget is in a bad way at the moment."

Japan is running a national debt of 751 trillion yen (US$6.94 trillion).

Japan said it would decide within 10 years whether it would pursue its moon program on its own, or if it would team up with other nations.

No country has sent a manned mission to the moon since the Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s. China and Russia are both planning moon programs of their own. China plans to send a satellite to the moon in 2007. Russia has a plan to send personnel to the moon sometime between 2015-2020 as part of a larger program to one day send a mission to Mars.

JAXA's next mission will survey the moon with the ''SELENE'' probe. The mission was scheduled to launch this year, but has been delayed for unknown reasons.