ISRO Soars to New Heights with Chandrayaan-4 Mission!
Following the success of Chandrayaan-3, ISRO is now preparing for its next lunar adventure with the ambitious Chandrayaan-4 mission. Although the chances of Chandrayaan-3’s return to Earth are diminishing due to possible communication difficulties, ISRO remains determined, highlighting the valuable data already obtained from the mission. The Chandrayaan-4 mission, a symbol of advancement in space exploration, is set to enhance India’s cosmic pursuits. Diverging from its predecessors, this mission not only aims to land on the moon but also intends to retrieve lunar samples and bring them back to Earth.
Nilesh Desai, director of the Space Applications Center (SAC/ISRO), revealed the milestone of the Chandrayaan-4 mission while addressing the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology recently. It involves a complex process of collecting samples from the lunar surface, TOI reported.
The spacecraft’s trajectory includes landing on the moon, collecting samples, connecting to another module in space, and a unique splitting motion as they approach Earth: one part burns and the other rotates.
Desai commented: “It’s a very ambitious mission and hopefully in the next five to seven years we’ll be up to the challenge of bringing samples back from the moon.”
Ambitious goals and technical challenges
Chandrayaan-4 is a more complex sequel. Not only has the rover’s weight increased significantly to 350 kilograms compared to Chandrayaan-3’s 30 kilogram rover, according to JAXA, it aims for a daring landing on the uncharted territory of the Moon. The research area expands to 1000 m x 1000 m, doubling the extent of its predecessor.
Chandrayaan-4’s ultimate litmus test is its ability to return lunar samples to Earth, which requires two powerful rockets for the precious cargo.
Although ISRO has yet to officially confirm the feasibility of the mission, the ongoing collaboration with the Japanese space agency JAXA on the LuPEX lunar mission underscores the agency’s commitment to lunar exploration. The 350 kg LuPEX aims for the dark side of the moon and plans to explore areas up to 90 degrees on the lunar surface.
The goal of the mission is to collect samples from the Moon’s south polar region and hope to find traces of water ice reserves. With four modules and two launches, LuPEX will develop strategically, starting with the landing of the module near the Chandrayaan-3 site for the first sampling.
ISRO’s strategic shift towards the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LuPEX) is a response to the communication challenges faced during Chandrayaan-3 and is re-directing resources and efforts in collaboration with JAXA. Continued progress includes JAXA review, task force visits, and fine-tuning of the payload assembly, a symbolic example of collaboration and pioneering lunar exploration efforts.
