Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Following the triumph of its maiden Moon landing with Chandrayaan-3, India has set sights on its next lunar endeavour, Chandrayaan-4, aiming to retrieve samples from the lunar south pole.
According to report by Space.com, an online publication focused on space exploration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has planned a sophisticated mission involving four modules and two launches for Chandrayaan-4.
The first launch involves a lander and an "ascender" module heading to the Moon's surface near the dormant Chandrayaan-3 landing site in the resource-rich lunar south polar region.
The chosen landing site has been strategically located due to the potential abundance of water ice, a valuable resource for potential life support and rocket fuel.
Two additional modules, a transfer module and a re-entry module, have been scheduled for a later launch. These modules will remain in lunar orbit, contributing to the second part of the mission.
The lander and ascender modules will touch down on the rim of an unspecified crater near the lunar south pole. The ascender module, carrying collected samples, will launch from the Moon's surface and transfer samples to the re-entry module.
The transfer and re-entry modules will then embark on their journey back to Earth, carrying the precious lunar samples for a safe touchdown.
Described as a highly ambitious mission, experts have anticipated the completion of Chandrayaan-4 within the next five to seven years.
India's mission shares similarities with NASA's efforts to bring back samples from Mars, where the Perseverance rover has collected samples for a later return to Earth.
While the estimated budget for Chandrayaan-4 is yet to be disclosed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive has underscored India's commitment to achieving new and ambitious goals in space exploration, with a roadmap for future lunar missions already in progress.