The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is planning to launch an unmanned exploration mission to the Moon by 2018.
The agency has reportedly submitted a proposal to a government space policy committee, to launch a Moon lander.
The proposed mission is part of the Japan’s plan to prepare for a mission to Mars in future.
Named Smart Lander For Investigating Moon (SLIM), the unmanned spacecraft will be launched aboard an Epsilon rocket.
The SLIM is designed to evaluate surface topography and identify potential obstacles to landing, as well as study the use of materials on the Moon that could assess in future manned missions.
The mission is said to be the country’s first attempt targeting the Moon since JAXA’s launch of an unmanned orbiter, selenological and engineering explorer (SELENE), in 2007.
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By GlobalDataWith this mission, Japan will be the fourth country after Russia, the US and China, to launch an unmanned probe to the Moon.
AFP cited Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun as saying that the development cost of the mission is estimated at around JPY15bn ($126m).
A JAXA official was quoted as saying: "This is an initial step and a lot of procedures are still ahead before the plan is formally approved."
