Chandrayaan-4 mission: ISRO to hunt for water near Moon’s South Pole

After a successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO prepares for another Moon mission in collaboration with JAXA to find the presence of water.

Chandrayaan-4 mission or LUPEX mission is now under development and trials are being made to launch the mission in coming years.

The mission will carry a lander and a rover however, this time they will be developed with new instruments and technology.

LUPEX mission focuses on finding the quantity and quality of water to support human life in future and support future space exploration missions.

According to JAXA, “ The rover will be equipped with instruments for measuring the water content of regolith (lunar sand), drilling and sampling”

They also mentioned that the rover weighs several hundred kilograms due to several instruments and payloads.

JAXA reports that the mission will be launched in 2025 with Japan's new H3 rocket. 

Scientists plan to land near the lunar south pole as various theories predict the presence of water in that region.

The mission will also include science payloads from other international space agency partners for a comprehensive study.

NASA's Neutron Spectrometer will search for hydrogen up to 3.3 feet (1 meter) beneath the surface at the south pole.

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Exospheric Mass Spectrometer will analyze gas pressure and chemical signatures on the surface.