Kashmir I March 17, 2025- The Indian government has greenlit the Chandrayaan-5 mission, a collaborative lunar exploration project with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), marking a significant leap in India’s space ambitions. The mission, approved earlier this month, will deploy a 250 kg rover to the Moon’s surface, as announced by ISRO Chairman V Narayanan on Sunday.
Building on the success of Chandrayaan-3, which achieved a historic soft landing near the lunar south pole in 2023 with its 25 kg Pragyan rover, Chandrayaan-5 aims to expand India’s lunar research capabilities. The new rover, ten times heavier than its predecessor, is designed to conduct detailed studies of the Moon’s terrain, composition, and potential resources, including water ice in permanently shadowed regions.
The mission is part of ISRO’s ambitious roadmap, which includes the Chandrayaan-4 sample-return mission slated for 2027 and plans for sustained lunar exploration through the 2030s. While the launch date for Chandrayaan-5 remains undisclosed, the collaboration with JAXA is expected to bring advanced technological expertise to the project, strengthening Indo-Japanese ties in space exploration.
This approval underscores India’s growing stature in the global space community and its goal of developing a $44 billion space economy by 2035. The Chandrayaan-5 mission promises to deliver groundbreaking scientific data, paving the way for future endeavors, including crewed missions and a potential lunar base by 2050.