Mumbai, December 5: After the success of Chandrayaan-3, ISRO plans to launch its new Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission. According to reports, the Chandrayaan-4 mission aims to bring samples of the rock and soil from the moon for study. However, the reports said that the success of ISRO's next lunar mission will depend on multiple factors, including the organisation's capability to go back to the moon and bring back samples.

ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 completed its first manoeuvre on October 9, 2023 and second manoeuvre plan was revised to target an Earth orbit of 1.8 lakhs x 3.8 lakhs km. The mission was successful with a few setbacks related to the launcher's re-entry on Earth and re-establishing connection with Pragyan rover of the Chandrayaan-3 and Vikram lander. However, Chandrayaan-3 is considered the most successful mission of ISRO, despite its inability to return to Earth. Chandrayaan 3 Update: ISRO Moves Propulsion Module to Orbit Around Earth in Unique Experiment (See Pics).

ISRO Chandryaan-4 Next Lunar Mission:

According to a Hindustan Times report, Nilesh Desai, Director of Space Appliances Centre (SAC/ISRO), said the landing of the new mission will be similar to the previous Chandrayaan-3 mission. According to the post, Nilesh Desai said the centre module will return to Earth with an orbiting module, unlike the last mission. ISRO is taking another significant step in space exploration and initiating studies on the soil and rocks of the moon.

Chandrayaan-4 is expected to significant advancement over the previous mission, with ISRO planning to upgrade its rover. According to the reports, Chandrayaan-3 had a rover weighing 30kg, but the Chandrayaan-4 will send a massive 350kg land rover to the moon. Astronauts for Gaganyaan Mission Ready and Waiting for Flight To Happen in 2025, Says ISRO Chief S Somanath.

ISRO's Collaboration With Japan Space Agency JAXA:

According to the reports, ISRO will collaborate with the Japanese Space Agency JAXA to explore the darker side of the moon. It will be another mission called LuPEX that reportedly will witness a 350kg rover on the moon. The rover is said to explore the areas up to 90 degrees on the moon's surface. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 05, 2023 07:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).