The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) presented its plan for a moon lander to a council of the cabinet office and the ministry of education, culture, sports science and technology, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun via Japan News.
Japan will be the fourth country to soft land an unmanned probe to the moon. Russia, the United States and most recently, China, have all had successful unmanned lunar probe missions.
"This is an initial step and a lot of procedures are still ahead before the plan is formally approved," the official said, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun. JAXA's lunar mission is planned to begin in the fiscal year starting April 2018. Development costs are estimated at up to 15 billion yen ($126 million).
The probe, named SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon), will be carried by the nation's solid-fuel "Epsilon" rocket, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun, adding that the ministry plans to request a budget for the program next year. The moon rocket and landing craft will be build by a U.S. company.
According to The Yomiuri Shimbun, JAXA's lunar mission is just one step in the execution of a mission to Mars.
