October 23, 2025 TOPICS

Ritsumeikan selected for Space Strategy Fund Phase 2 ： Elemental technology for lunar surface infrastructure： Aims to establish surveying and geotechnical investigation technologies to realize lunar base construction

Ritsumeikan University (Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto; President: Yoshio Nakatani) was selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for Phase 2 of its Space Strategy Fund. Its project entitled “Establishment of surveying and geotechnical investigation technologies to realize lunar base construction” was adopted under “Elemental technology for lunar surface infrastructure,” a technology development theme in the exploration domain. This is the second consecutive year that Ritsumeikan was selected for the Space Strategy Fund, following its adoption as an SX Research and Development Site last year.

The lunar surface is increasingly becoming the focus of exploration and development activities around the world, and some estimates suggest that the global lunar-related market will be worth US$170 billion (approximately ¥27.3 trillion) by 2040. With this growing market in view, it is essential to seize the economic opportunities that will accompany the creation of a future lunar economy. To do so, Japan must envision the step-wise development of private-sector activities that will gradually form a lunar economic sphere, and—as a first step—secure early acquisition of lunar environmental data and key technologies that will serve as the foundation for all lunar operations. Through these efforts, it is also critically important for Japan to demonstrate an international presence and accumulate operational experience on the lunar surface, as these will play a vital role in shaping future international norms and rules for lunar activities as well as in capturing a share of the emerging global lunar market. (Source: Space Strategy Fund Program website.)

“Elemental technology for lunar surface infrastructure,” the research theme for which Ritsumeikan University was selected, aims to promote environmental assessment of the lunar surface and early demonstration of key technologies by way of industry–academia collaboration in anticipation of increasingly active lunar exploration and development by parties both in Japan and abroad.
It is known that the Moon’s surface is covered with a thick layer of fine sand called regolith; however, many aspects of its geotechnical properties, such as depth, hardness, and strength, remain unclear, and significant uncertainties persist regarding lunar topography and geology. Just as on Earth, surveying and geotechnical investigations will serve as the starting points for construction on the lunar surface. With this research project, Ritsumeikan will develop a surveying and geotechnical investigation system to obtain high-precision topographic data necessary for construction work and resource development on the Moon as well as to understand the soil properties and stratigraphic structure of the regolith. Furthermore, we will establish a design system for civil engineering structures such as land leveling, land development, road construction, and ground improvement, which will contribute to the realization of lunar base construction.

Comment from President Yoshio Nakatani

It is a great honor that Ritsumeikan University was selected for the Space Strategy Fund for the second year in a row. Aiming to become a next-generation research university that creates social impact by solving the issues that human society must tackle today from the perspective of what shape the future should take, Ritsumeikan considers space as one of its key research areas.
In order to advance the development of lunar infrastructure from the conceptual phase to a concrete plan centered on the work of the Ritsumeikan Earth & Space Exploration Center (ESEC), we will establish surveying and geotechnical investigation technologies to obtain topographical and geoenvironmental data of the candidate sites for base construction and conduct a technical demonstration on the Moon in cooperation with other organizations.

Comment from ESEC Deputy Director Taizo Kobayashi (Principal Investigator)

The construction of lunar bases—long depicted in countless manga and science fiction works—is finally beginning to take on a sense of reality. To witness this new era and to be personally involved in even a small part of it is deeply moving. With this project, we are bringing together top leaders from a diverse array of fields across the private sector, academia, and research institutes to take on the challenge of developing a payload—a surveying and geotechnical investigation system—that will actually be launched and operated on the lunar surface. Surveying and geotechnical investigation are indispensable first steps in the construction of lunar bases. With a strong sense of mission, we are determined to tackle this new future-shaping challenge, developing the foundational technologies that will open the door to humanity’s full-scale expansion into space.