Japan's first lunar orbiter is currently circling the moon, and the country is racing with China and India to land a craft on the lunar surface -- a feat so far achieved only by the former Soviet Union and the United States.
"We are aiming to carry out the project in the middle of the 2010s. It will examine geological features of the moon as well as natural resources available there," said an official from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
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China plans to launch a moon orbiter this year and land a craft on the surface in 2010. India plans an orbiter next year and a manned mission to the moon by 2020.
Japan's first explorer to land on the moon will consist of an unmanned lander, a lunar rover equipped with robotic arms and a data-relay satellite, Japanese space agency officials said.
Race to the moon! Race to the moon! I hope this is serious and not another boon!(doggle)
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