Oct. 31 (UPI) — India is eying a return to the moon in 2028, aiming to collect 6.6 pounds of lunar samples from an area thought to be rich in water and ice near the lunar south pole, the Indian Space Research Organization has announced.
The mission is projected to cost about $253 billion in U.S. dollars, the agency said.
ISRO will work to perfect several new types of technology before launching the Chandrayaan-4 2028 lunar mission, including the ability to scoop material from the moon’s surface and drill six feet into the subsurface.
The Chandrayaan-4, India’s moon sample collector, is expected to complete that trip then follow up with a joint lander and rover expedition with one with Japan called LUPEX. It’s a collaboration between ISRO and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
As part of the LUPEX mission, India will provide the lander, parts of the payloads and oversee mission planning. Japan will contribute the launch vehicle, various payloads and the lunar rover.
Payloads will include ground penetrating radar, spectrometers and water analysis instruments. Both India and Japan will contribute those items.
The LUPEX mission is scheduled to happen in 2028 or 2029.
ISRO has a long history of space exploration and has been building up its launch capabilities since the early 1960s.
The country launched its first satellite, called Aryabhata, into orbit aboard a Soviet rocket in 1969.
