Following the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for its next lunar endeavor, Chandrayaan-4, slated for launch around 2028. Also known as the LUPEX mission, Chandrayaan-4 aims to expand upon the achievements of Chandrayaan-3 with more intricate objectives. If successful, Chandrayaan-4 will mark India as the fourth nation to retrieve samples from the lunar surface. ISRO also has plans to send Indians to the Moon by 2040, with a 15-year timeline for this endeavor.
The mission’s goal is to land near the south pole of the Moon and collect rock samples for analysis on Earth. These samples could offer valuable insights into lunar resources, particularly water, which could be crucial for future human colonization efforts.
Chandrayaan-4 will feature a 350-kg rover capable of covering greater distances compared to its predecessor. The lander will execute a challenging landing maneuver along the hazardous rims of lunar craters, which have not been explored before. The mission is expected to use India’s heavy-lift GSLV Mk III or LVM3 launch vehicles. However, the success of the mission depends on safely retrieving the samples and bringing them back to Earth, a technically challenging task that will require two launches. The landing process will be similar to Chandrayaan-3, but the central module will return to Earth after docking with the orbiting module, which will later separate above Earth to re-enter the atmosphere and deliver the samples.
ISRO has already demonstrated the feasibility of certain aspects of the mission, such as a hop experiment with the Vikram lander to show lift-off capability from the Moon’s surface, and the Orbiter’s return journey from the Moon, demonstrating a viable return trajectory.