Credit: JAXA
The images in this blog are from a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) presentation given at the European Space Agency's Integrated Architecture Review held from 7-8 July at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands
click on images in this blog post to see a larger version in the same window browser
credit: JAXA
Interestingly, for some anyway, JAXA appears to have started its own Mars exploration study but what will this pre-phase A come up with we ask? Don't bother asking me to ask JAXA. I might as well shout at a brick wall for all the times I have emailed its PR department
Credit: JAXA
MMmmm, dig that Earth background and HII-B Earth departure stage kicking that Selene-2 out of Earth orbit
Credit: JAXA
So according to this a political decision regarding Japan's human lunar and space transportation system will be taken soon. Japan recently passed a new law about its space involvement and its government should be getting a dedicated space minister
JAXA, was at one stage, interested in working with ESA on Kliper/Clipper back when the European agency was going to work with the Russians on that. I have asked ESA about Japanese interest in CSTS but JAXA's role seems to have been a bit up in the air
Hopefully 2010 will see this new minister head up a Japanese decision to get involved with CSTS or maybe CTSE? There are problems with JAXA and Russian involvement as Japan and Russia have never signed a peace treaty so they are still technically at war. Basically JAXA has to be a partner with ESA and has no involvement with the Russian side of the equation
Credit: JAXA
I am not sure what this is, it is either one absolutely huge crane vehicle thing next to a habitation module or it's some sort of pressurised resupply cannister alongside a compact-car sized crane vehicle
Credit: JAXA
And finally, this is another SELENE-2 concept
For other JAXA concept images go here
too much "lunar plans", landers, missions' architectures... will them really funded?
despite their bad vehicles, rockets and missions architecture, there is (at least) one point in favour of the ESAS plan: NASA will actually HAVE the funds to do it!
the european countries must end their lethargy if they want ESA to remain a space exploration leader!
(or we'll buy spacecrafts from China... like our PCs)
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concrete-jet 'printers' to build houses, Moonbases in hours (via Google.Groups)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/01/concrete_building_printers/
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I'm not as worried about ESA as you, gm. Are you aware of the history of Arianne V? They're well on their way to 8 double launches this year, and the ATV architecture ain't too shabby, when you see the versatility.
If you're concerned about the painful slowness of modern space work, I'm with you.
As much as an American Exceptionalist as I have been, I can live with marrying projects with International Partners if it gets things done beyond a federal budget that is a slave to a short-term congressional cycles.
Joel,
the Ariane5 program and the lunar program are two different things
the Ariane5 already exists, it's funded and part of its costs come from the companies that launch the satellites with it
a lunar program is dozens time more expensive and has no funds that come from sat-TV or weather satellites' owners, then, unless it will be funded by ESA partners, it will always remain a "paper plan"
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It sure is fashionable for space agencies to present studies on future manned lunar exploration at the moment.. but for ESA and JAXA to aim straight for the lunar south pole seems a bit ambitious considering neither of those agencies has ever developed a lunar lander before.
We White Label Space hope and expect to be able to contribute to those developments. Wouldn't it be nice to see the agencies considering the Google Lunar X-Prize in their "road maps".