The United States is presenting its latest space exploration technologies at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The USA Pavilion focuses on innovations supporting NASA’s Artemis missions, which aim to return astronauts to the moon and eventually send them to Mars. These missions are guided by the Artemis Accords, an international framework for cooperation in space.
NASA is working with private companies and other countries to develop methods for humans to live on the moon. One of the main exhibits features a replica of Olympus, a 3D printer developed by Texas-based ICON in partnership with NASA and the Defense Department. Olympus is designed to turn lunar rocks into construction materials that could be used for building landing pads and other structures on the moon.
“We’ll never have a moon base if [we have to] bring everything with us,” said Jason Ballard, co-founder of ICON, in an interview with CBS News. “If we want to stay, we have to learn to live off the land.” NASA’s Artemis III mission, which will send astronauts back to the moon, is planned for launch in 2027.
Visitors can also see images from the James Webb Space Telescope at the pavilion. This telescope has provided scientists with new information about distant galaxies and helped detect chemicals that may indicate life on planets outside our solar system. In April, researchers using the telescope found such chemicals on a planet many light years away but noted that more research is needed.
The pavilion also highlights U.S. achievements in agricultural technology and medicine and promotes travel and exchange opportunities in the United States. Eighty-nine youth ambassadors from 45 states are present as guides and greeters.
A recorded message from Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani welcomes visitors. Baseball remains a strong cultural link between Japan and the U.S., demonstrated by MLB opening its 2025 season in Tokyo with Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers playing against the Chicago Cubs.
Japan is working alongside NASA as part of their joint commitment under the Artemis Accords. The country is developing a pressurized rover intended for use by two Artemis astronauts during extended lunar exploration missions.
“The 31,000-square-foot USA Pavilion showcases American excellence, innovation, and leadership, and reinforces our commitment to engagement in the Indo-Pacific and the U.S.-Japan bilateral relationship,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
More information about Expo 2025 can be found at the USA Pavilion website.