As NASA prepares for its crewed lunar landing through its Artemis program, several Japanese companies are taking different steps to prepare for the eventual human habitation of the Moon.
Shingo Horiguchi, 41, president of the space business consulting firm DigitalBlast, stated that many of the necessities for human survival on Earth will also be essential for living on the Moon or Mars. This implies that these will be potential markets for companies in the future.
The first major challenge is agriculture and food supply, as living and working on the Moon requires a substantial amount of food, and transporting it from Earth would be prohibitively expensive.
Plants on Earth grow and establish their roots due to gravity, but they would struggle with that in space. Consequently, the Tokyo-based company has developed a device to create artificial gravity for crops.
By rotating capsules, the “AMAZ” device can generate gravitational forces similar to those on Earth or the Moon, as well as create microgravity conditions in space.
About the size of a large backpack, with a diameter of 20 cm, a width of 40 cm, and a weight of 5 kg, it can produce gravitational forces in space akin to those on Earth or the Moon.
Users can place plants in three capsules, and then the machine will rotate to create gravity. Users can alter the rotation speed of each capsule, with over 100 rotations per minute generating Earth-like gravity, fewer than 50 rotations for Moon-like gravity, and no rotations indicating microgravity.
The device is called “AMAZ,” named after a deity in Japanese mythology.
Horiguchi mentioned that many experiments have compared plant growth in microgravity conditions versus Earth’s gravity, but very few experiments focus specifically on cultivating plants on the Moon or Mars.
After working as an engineer in the finance sector, Horiguchi joined the Japan Research Institute and consulted in the space industry. He later founded his own company in 2018.
He noted that private companies in Japan struggle to engage in the space industry due to the perception that space exploration is a national project. Meanwhile, in the United States, many private companies have entered this field.
He stated that if Japan were to open its market more to private companies, it would create excellent business opportunities.
Furthermore, Japanese companies could help drive this industry forward. Thus far, they have focused on developing satellites and rockets, but Horiguchi emphasized that food is essential for human survival on the Moon.
He has been working to create the gravity-generating device alongside four others at the company, including a former ground control staff member for the International Space Station (ISS); a designer; a construction consultant; and a financial advisor.
They have developed this device over approximately a year and currently aim to install and operate it on the ISS by fiscal year 2024.
The total cost, including transportation to the ISS, is estimated at around 300 million yen (2 million USD). The company has conducted a crowdfunding campaign to cover part of the launch expenses.
“I want to create a world where people from all walks of life can participate in space,” Horiguchi said.
Solving the food issue, humans can settle on multiple planets.
Agriculture on the Moon
In February, the joint venture Towing, in collaboration with Japan’s major construction firm Obayashi Corp, successfully grew komatsuna (also known as Japanese spinach) using sand similar to that found on the Moon.
The company, based in Nagoya and established in 2020, aims to cultivate on the Moon in the future by using human waste as fertilizer.
The company is researching how to transform lunar sand into usable soil for agriculture using technology developed by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) in Japan. This technology has already been practically implemented by the company.
The process involves heating lunar sand and transforming it into a material with numerous small indentations, which can provide a habitat for microorganisms. Organic fertilizers and microorganisms will then be added to convert this material into soil.
“Soon, sustainable farming will be required both on Earth and in space,” said Kohei Nishida, 28, president of Towing. “We also want to use this technology on Earth.”
Encouraging Private Sector Participation
NASA is currently working to land astronauts on the Moon by 2025 under the Artemis program, the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The overall project aims to build a base on the Moon and ensure food security, paving the way for a future where humanity establishes settlements on the Moon.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) stated that private companies will be “essential to strengthen the industrial base supporting the independence of Japan’s space activities.”
Hidetaka Aoki, director of the Japan Spaceport Association, noted that efforts to achieve self-sufficiency on the Moon are underway in many countries, but currently, there are very few projects led by private companies.
He remarked that the primary strength the private sector can bring to governments is speed. He said, “There is a risk of failure, but if companies can establish a track record, it will also serve as a strong motivator for the nation.”
