Press Releases

On December 31 last year, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Japan and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America concerning Cooperation on the Civil Lunar Gateway entered into force between Japan and the United States.

1. This Memorandum of Understanding is an international agreement for implementing cooperation on the Gateway, a human outpost in the lunar vicinity which the United States plans to develop on the basis of international cooperation.
2. In October, 2019, Japan decided to participate in international space exploration under the proposal of the United States (Artemis program) including the development of the Gateway. Since then, Japan has coordinated with the United States to establish an appropriate legal framework.
3. Under this Memorandum of Understanding, Japan will contribute to the development of the Gateway by leveraging its strengths and promote international cooperation in the space domain.

［Reference 1］

Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Japan and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America concerning Cooperation on the Civil Lunar Gateway (English (PDF) / Japanese (PDF) )

［Reference 2］

The Gateway is a human outpost in the lunar vicinity comprised of elements provided by Gateway partners, which functions as a staging base for lunar surface missions and missions to Mars. Delivery of the first Gateway element is planed in 2023.