Indians To Set Foot On Moon In A Made in India Rocket As Decks Cleared For Chandrayaan-5

New Delhi: Chandrayaan-5, the Indian Space Research Organisation's ambitious lunar mission to study the moon has finally got the nod from the Centre. ISRO Chief V Narayanan has confirmed the major development at an event to felicitate him for taking over as the Chairman of ISRO. With Chandrayaan-5, India will be one step closer to sending humans to the moon, paving the way for the Gaganyaan mission, which will ultimately put Indians on the lunar surface aboard a Made-in-India rocket.

India's Chandrayaan-5 Mission

The Chandrayaan-5 mission will be undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in collaboration with Japan, which will further enhance the scientific capabilities of the mission. ISRO's Chandrayaan-5 will feature a rover weighing 250 kilograms, which is 100 kilograms more than the Chandrayaan-3 rover, which weighed 25 kilograms. 

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The advanced rover, which is similar to Chandrayaan-3, would be indigenous, i.e. Made in India, and would conduct detailed studies of the surface and composition of the Moon. Just as Chandrayaan-3's Lander module (LM), propulsion module (PM) and the rover were all indigenous, all parts of the Chandrayaan-5 rocket will also be made in India. 

Centre Approves ISRO's Chandrayaan-5 Mission

The Indian government has recently granted approval for the ambitious Chandrayaan-5 mission aimed at exploring the Moon, announced ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan. Speaking at an event celebrating his appointment as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru, Narayanan highlighted that, unlike the Chandrayaan-3 mission which included the 25-kg rover 'Prayagyaan,' the upcoming Chandrayaan-5 mission will feature a 250-kg rover to conduct detailed studies of the Moon's surface.

"Just three days ago, we received approval for the Chandrayaan-5 mission. This mission will be carried out in collaboration with Japan," Narayanan added.

ISRO ‘On The Moon’ With Back-to-Back Lunar Missions and Gaganyaan

ISRO's Chandrayaan programme has been the flagbearer of lunar exploration for India with the first mission, Chandrayaan-1 being launched in 2008; the Chandrayaan-2 was launched in 2019 and was partially successful and in 2019, Chandrayaan-3 was launched and successfully made a soft landing on the South Pole region of the moon.

Apart from Chandrayaan-5, ISRO is also planning to launch Chandrayaan-4 in 2027, to collect and bring back lunar samples. The Indian Space Research Organisation is also working on the Gaganyaan mission, to send Indian astronauts into space.

(Inputs from PTI)