Japan plans space shuttle and moon base

Hot on the heels of its first launch success in more than a year, the Japanese space agency JAXA is planning bold new steps for its space program.

According to an AP report in Newsday, Japan intends to build a space shuttle program of its own, and begin work on a manned base on the moon within the next twenty years.

The article cites the Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun as a source.

JAXA is doing what normally happens after new success in spaceflight -- capitalize on the euphoria and plan new projects, hoping to get financial commitments before the good feelings wane. NASA, ESA, and the Chinese space program have all done likewise in the past.

Other articles have mentioned recently that Japan and China may be seeing each other as rivals in an emerging space race in east Asia.