Shares of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7011) advanced on Thursday after the Artemis II mission, a crewed lunar flight tied to Japan’s space agency, lifted off successfully on Wednesday. Mitsubishi Heavy climbed nearly 3% on the day, surpassing the broader Nikkei 225 index, which declined about 2%.
Mitsubishi Heavy is directly connected to Japan’s contribution to Artemis through the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. The firm collaborated with JAXA to develop the H3 rocket, intended to serve as Japan’s principal launch vehicle for transporting cargo on forthcoming lunar missions.
In addition to the H3 launch vehicle, Mitsubishi Heavy constructed the HTV cargo spacecraft used for resupply missions. That spacecraft is planned for use in the Artemis program, although its future role became less certain after NASA abandoned plans for an orbital station in March. Beyond those principal roles, Mitsubishi also participates in supporting activities tied to NASA’s longer-term lunar base plans.
Other Japanese equities with links to the Artemis program recorded gains alongside Mitsubishi Heavy. Toyota Motor Corp (TYO:7203), which is engaged in developing habitat and transportation technology for lunar operations, registered a modest rise of 0.2%. ispace Inc (TYO:9348), a company working on a lunar lander, saw a sharper increase, jumping nearly 6%.
Artemis II marks the first crewed mission to fly around the moon in more than 50 years and is expected to be the furthest human flight in history. The mission will carry four astronauts on a roughly 10-day trajectory around the moon and back. Artemis aims to conduct a crewed lunar landing by 2028 and pursue plans for a permanent presence on the lunar surface, in partnership with multiple international contributors.
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Readers should note that market reaction to program milestones can move share prices of firms exposed to those programs, as illustrated by the price action in Mitsubishi Heavy and other Japan-listed companies after the Artemis II launch.