Shoyo Hyodo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ deputy manager of space systems design, speaking Oct. 25 at the 70th International Astronautical Congress in Washington. Credit: SpaceNews/Caleb Henry

WASHINGTON — As Japan prepares to join NASA’s Artemis lunar program, the country’s largest rocket manufacturer says it could upgrade the H3 rocket debuting next year to deliver cargo to the moon as soon as 2025. 

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Caleb Henry is a former SpaceNews staff writer covering satellites, telecom and launch. He previously worked for Via Satellite and NewSpace Global.He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science along with a minor in astronomy from Grove City College.