Chandrayaan-5 Mission: A Major Step Toward India’s Moon Colonisation Plan

The Chandrayaan-3 mission in India marks the historical achievement of Lunar exploration. It launched on July 14, 2023 and was successful at the Moon’s South Pole on August 23, 2023, making India the first country to do so.

This success paves the way for more ambitious projects. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan recently announced that the center has approved the Chandrayaan-5 Mission to Moon.

The program strengthens India’s lunar exploration capabilities, involving a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Japan Aeronautics and Space Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Chandrayaan-5 plans to deploy a 250-kilogram rover to conduct detailed research on the moon’s surface. Prior to this, Chandrayaan-4 was planned to be launched in 2027, with a focus on collecting and collecting lunar soil samples to the Earth.

These missions are strategic steps towards India’s goal of achieving human landings by 2040.

View | ISRO’s upcoming plans: Gaganyaan (2026), Samudrayaan (2026) and Chandrayaan-4 (2027) will be launched.

What is Chandrayaan 5? India’s next big step towards the moon

Chandrayaan-5 is India’s ambitious next step in its lunar exploration program, marking a significant advance in the country’s space efforts.

The Chandrayaan-5 builds on the success of early missions, such as the Chandrayaan-3, which achieved a historic soft landing near the Lunar South Pole in 2023.

This task is also part of the planned Chandrayaan-4 sample return plan. Chandrayaan-5 represents a collaborative effort between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Japan Aeronautics and Space Exploration Agency (JAXA).

As of March 2025, the mission recently approved by the Indian government is designed to deepen our understanding of the moon’s surface and its resources.

feature

  • A key feature of the Chandrayaan-5 is the deployment of a 250kg rover – ten times heavier than the 25kg Pragyan Rover used in the Chandrayaan-3.
  • This larger, more advanced rover is designed to explore shaded areas on the moon’s surface, especially near the Antarctic where water ice is suspected.
  • The mission’s objectives include detailed scientific research on the lunar terrain, mineral composition and potential water resources, which are crucial for future lunar residence and exploration.
  • Unlike Chandrayaan-4, which focuses on retrieving lunar samples and returning them to Earth in 2028, Chandrayaan-5 prioritizes the use of technical capabilities to determine field exploration and analysis.

Chandrayaan-4: Key links before Chandrayaan-5

Chandrayaan-4 is a critical mission in India’s lunar exploration program and is a crucial link ahead of the ambitious Chandrayaan-5 mission.

Chandrayaan-4 is scheduled to be launched in 2027 and aims to collect and return lunar samples to Earth, marking an important milestone in India’s space efforts.

The importance of Chandrayaan-4

Chandrayaan-4’s sample backhaul mission is very important as it will bring back lunar material for detailed analysis on Earth.

These data can help understand the composition of the moon, especially in the Antarctic, which is essential for planning Chandrayaan-5 exploration activities.

In addition, developed technologies such as landing, sample collection and return may be used for future tasks, including Chandrayaan-5.

Roles in Chandrayaan-5

Chandrayaan-5, a collaborative effort with Jaxa, aims to explore the permanently shaded water ice areas of the moon, a key resource for future lunar residence.

Chandrayaan-4’s success can enhance the credibility of ISRO and make international partnerships more smooth. In addition, insights from Chandrayaan-4 samples may guide Chandrayaan-5’s landing field or Rover operation selection to ensure its success.

Task Overview and Schedule

Chandrayaan-4 is a planned lunar sample return mission, marking the fourth iteration of the ISRO’s Chandrayaan program. As of 2025, its conceptualization phase has been completed, the design phase is about to be completed, and is expected to be released around 2028.

The mission will use two LVM3 launch vehicles, consisting of four modules: Transfer Module (TM), Lander Module (LM), Ascender Module (AM) and Rectry Module (RM), whose mission lifespan is one lunar day (approximately 14 Earth Days).

Its purpose is to return 3 kg (6.6 pounds) of Lunar Regolith from the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 in the Moon Antarctica.

Chandrayaan-5, known as the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (Lupex), is partnering with Jaxa, plans to launch with the H3 launch vehicle in 2028-29.

The mission will involve an Indian land aircraft and a 250 kg Japanese rovers, aiming to explore the permanently shaded water ice areas of the moon, which is crucial for future lunar exploration and residence.

It focuses on on-site sampling, analysis and demonstration of Lunar Night survival technology, with the expected task duration of 6 months.

What are the main differences between Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5?

aspect

Chandrayaan-4

Chandrayaan-5 (lupex)

Objective

Moon sample returns (up to 3 kg)

Explore the South Pole of the Moon, on-site sampling, and lunar night survival

Launcher

LVM3×2

H3 (Jaxa)

release date

Around 2028

2028–29

Module

TM, LM, AM, RM

Lander (ISRO), ROVER (JAXA)

Task duration

14 days (1 lunar day)

6 months

Landing point

Near Shiv Shakti Point

Moon Antarctic, permanent shadow area

Key technologies

Space docking, sample collection, return

Land-frame operation, international cooperation

Dependence on a priori

Built on Chandrayaan-3 Landing Tech

Possible use of Chandrayaan-4 data for site selection