India's Planned Lunar Sample Return Mission Moves Closer with 2027 Target
NEW DELHI, India —India’s ambitious lunar exploration program is set to take a giant leap with the forthcoming Chandrayaan-4 mission, which has the complex goal of successfully collecting lunar samples and returning them to Earth. This mission builds directly on the success of Chandrayaan-3, which achieved a soft landing near the Moon's south pole in August 2023. A Complex Five-Module Mission The Chandrayaan-4 mission, spearheaded by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is officially a lunar sample return mission . Its objectives are comprehensive: To perform a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface. To demonstrate the collection and containerization of lunar samples. To achieve ascent from the Moon's surface. To perform crucial rendezvous and docking maneuvers in orbit (both Earth and lunar). To successfully return the collected samples to Earth for scientific study. The spacecraft is notably more complex than its predecessors, consisting of five modules —a...