New Delhi: The Department of Space has revealed to a Parliamentary Standing Committee that ISRO and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are aiming to launch the Chandrayaan 5/LUPEX mission in September 2028. The mission is a collaboration between ISRO and JAXA to execute a precision landing in the highlands around the south pole of the Moon and prospect for water in the region. ISRO is providing the Lunar Lander, while Japan is providing the Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) rover, and the H3-24L Launch vehicle. The LUPEX rover will carry payloads from JAXA, ISRO, NASA and ESA.
ISRO’s lander will be heavier than the ones used for the Chandrayaan 3 and Chandrayaan 4 missions, with a flip out ramp to lower the LUPEX rover on the surface. The rover will then explore the surface for water ice, and attempt to mine some as well, by drilling into the lunar regolith. On the lunar surface, ISRO will be operating the lander and the payloads on board, while JAXA will be operating the rover. With the mission, scientists hope to better understand the abundance of subsurface water on the Moon, and its suitability for human use.
Plans for mission accelerated
The mission was originally planned to launch in 2025, but has been delayed. Last year, a delegation of JAXA scientists visited the ISRO HQ in Bengaluru, to work out details of the collabroation. At that time, ISRO was aiming to launch the mission by 2029. Now, we have a clearer target launch date. At the IAC 2024 conference as well, where plans for both the Chandrayaan 4 and 5 missions were presented, ISRO had indicated that it was planning to launch the mission in the 2028-29 timeframe. For a time, the Chandrayaan 5/LUPEX mission was actually supposed to be the Chandrayaan 4 mission, before ISRO opted to independently attempt its first sample return mission. The Space Commission has approved the Chandrayaan 5/LUPEX mission, with the formal clearance from the Union Cabinet awaited.