Chandrayaan-5 To Be Joint Mission With Japan: ISRO Chief V Narayana

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has secured approval from the Centre for the Chandrayaan-5 mission to the Moon.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan announced the approval at a felicitation event on Sunday.

The mission will be a joint project with Japan, according to the news agency PTI.

“Just three days back we got the approval for the Chandrayaan-5 mission. We will be doing it in association with Japan,” Narayanan said.

He also revealed that Chandrayaan-5’s rover will weigh 10 times more than Chandrayaan-3’s 25-kg rover, ‘Pragyaan’.

Chandrayaan-4 To Precede Chandrayaan-5

Chandrayaan-5 will follow Chandrayaan-4, which is set for launch in 2027.

Chandrayaan-4 will aim to bring back samples collected from the Moon’s surface.

The Chandrayaan mission focuses on studying the Moon’s surface.

Chandrayaan-1, launched in 2008, conducted chemical, mineralogical, and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 achieved 98% of its objectives, but the final stage failed. However, the high-resolution camera onboard Chandrayaan-2 continues to send valuable images.

Chandrayaan-3, launched in 2023, successfully demonstrated ISRO’s capability in soft-landing and roving on the Moon’s surface.

On August 23, 2023, ISRO made history by executing a soft landing on the Moon’s South Pole, making India the first country to do so.

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