The National Space Commission has approved India's fifth lunar mission, 'Lupex.'

Science and Technology

The National Space Commission, India's top authority for space missions, has given the green light for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (Lupex), marking India's fifth lunar mission. This mission will be a collaborative effort between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan's Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).


      - The mission will land at the Moon's south pole to investigate water and other resources, as well as analyze the interaction of water with lunar regolith.

      - JAXA will develop the rover and launch vehicle, while ISRO will create the lander system. The Lupex rover will weigh approximately 350 kg, making it much larger than the 26 kg Pragyan rover from Chandrayaan-3.

     

Main Points:-   (i) Lupex aims for a lunar surface duration of up to 100 days, significantly longer than Chandrayaan-3's 20 days.

      (ii) As part of Lupex, ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) will develop a new lander engine designed for potential human landings on the Moon.


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