---
title: "Japan Outlines Plan to Power Spacecraft With Moon Ice"
description: "The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has revealed plans to extract hydrogen from the Moon's ice deposits to use as fuel."
date: "2020-09-29"
modified: "2020-09-29"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japan-plan-power-spacecraft-moon-water"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Moon"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "gateway"
  - "JAXA"
  - "lunar gateway"
  - "the digest"
---

# Japan Outlines Plan to Power Spacecraft With Moon Ice

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/japan-plan-power-spacecraft-moon-water.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: JAXA/KYODO\</em\>*

## Mining Hydrogen

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has revealed plans to extract hydrogen from the Moon's ice deposits to use as a fuel source, the major Tokyo-based newspaper [*Japan Times* reports](<https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/09/28/national/science-health/japan-moon-water-hopping/>).

The goal is to cut costs during the nation's planned lunar explorations in the mid-2030s by creating a fuel source locally rather than lugging copious amounts of fuel all the way from Earth.

## The Gateway

Scientists suspect there could be substantial ice deposits near the Moon's [south pole](<https://earthsky.org/space/different-sources-ice-moons-south-pole>) and [hiding in the shadows](<https://futurism.com/study-more-water-moon>) of its many craters.

As a preliminary step, the space agency plans to collaborate with NASA to build the [Lunar Gateway](<https://futurism.com/tags/gateway>), a smaller space station orbiting the Moon intended to serve a stepping stone to the lunar surface below.

## Hydrogen Economy

The generated fuel would provide enough power to gently carry four astronauts to and from the Gateway. It could also be used to power a transport vehicle on the surface that can travel up to 1,000 kilometers by hopping across the surface, according to the *Japan Times*.

JAXA estimates that it will take about 37 tons of water to provide enough power to and from the Lunar Gateway. It will take a further 21 tons to explore the surface.

JAXA also revealed designs for a [six-wheeled, self-driving vehicle](<https://futurism.com/see-the-moon-rover-toyota-is-building-for-japans-space-program>) last year, a collaboration with automotive giant Toyota that's propelled by hydrogen fuel cells.

**READ MORE:** [One small hop for man? Japan shoots for jumping craft fueled by moon water](<https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/09/28/national/science-health/japan-moon-water-hopping/>) \[*The Japan Times*\]

**More on the Gateway:** *[Here’s NASA’s Plan for a Lunar “Base Camp”](<https://futurism.com/nasa-artemis-base-camp-moon>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)