Project to raise 100 million yen to plant 24-cm spear on moon

Hakuto, Japan's first civilian team that aims to send an unmanned lunar expedition, announced that it is providing technical assistance to the "Project to Pierce the Moon With the Spear of Longinus" on Friday. The "Project to Pierce the Moon With the Spear of Longinus Committee" unveiled its plans as part of the 20th anniversary of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime. Hakuto is the only team from Japan competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE.

Project Longinus aims to recreate (with real-world contraints) the scene in the anime where the Evangelion Unit-00 hurls the Spear of Longinus, which eventually lands on the lunar surface. The crowd-funding site Readyfor is hosting a campaign to raise 100 million yen (about US$1 million) in funds necessary to accomplish this goal. The campaign runs until April 5.

If the campaign meets its goal, a 240-millimeter (9.4-inch) spear will launch aboard a spacecraft from America between the end of 2015 and the end of 2016. Supporters will receive exclusive illustrations, t-shirts, replicas of the spear, spears forged by swordsmiths, and other rewards.

Real-life astronaut Naoko Yamazaki (pictured right in photograph below) and celebrity (and well-known Evangelion fan) Natsuki Katou appeared at Friday's press conference for the project. Katou was dressed in cosplay of Evangelion's Misato.

Sources: Comic Natalie, Oricon Style

Update: The Mainichi Shimbun paper's MaiDiGi service is streaming a video from the press conference.

Update 2: Team Hakuto clarified with ANN that it is not the host of this project. The host is the "Project to Pierce the Moon With the Spear of Longinus Committee," and Team Hakuto is providing technical assistance.