"NASA and Japan Collaborate to Send First Non-American Astronaut to the Moon"

NASA and Japan have signed an agreement to advance sustainable human exploration of the Moon, with Japan designing, developing, and operating a pressurized rover for crewed and uncrewed exploration on the lunar surface. The agreement also includes opportunities for Japanese astronauts to travel to the Moon and a shared goal for a Japanese national to be the first non-American astronaut to land on the Moon on a future Artemis mission. The pressurized rover will enable astronauts to travel farther and work for longer periods on the lunar surface, and falls under a broader framework agreement for cooperation in space exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes between the two nations.