What is LUPEX Mission? India’s 5th Lunar Polar Exploration Mission: Key Facts

India’s National Space Council has officially approved the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX), the country’s fifth lunar mission. LUPEX is a joint project between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to investigate the presence of water and other valuable resources in the lunar south pole region. This mission is a follow-up to India’s successful and history-making Chandrayaan-3 mission in August 2023.

What is LUPEX’s mission?

The LUPEX project is a cooperative lunar exploration mission between JAXA (Japan) and ISRO (India) focused on investigating water and other critical resources on the lunar surface. JAXA is responsible for the rover, while ISRO will develop the lander to deploy the rover. In addition, the mission will include NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) observing instruments to enhance its science objectives. The LUPEX mission is designed to develop expertise in lunar exploration and provide advanced technologies for future missions.

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The science behind it: Why is the sky blue?

Target

The LUPEX mission will assess the amount and quality of water on the Moon, using this data to support a sustainable human presence in the future. In addition, it is working to develop important technologies for rovers and landers to operate effectively in the harsh lunar environment, which is critical to advancing space exploration efforts.

Task duration

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The LUPEX project is currently scheduled to launch in 2025. The LUPEX mission is expected to operate on the lunar surface for up to 100 days, five times longer than the operational period of Chandrayaan-3. The extended timeline will allow for comprehensive exploration and data collection, making it one of the most ambitious lunar missions partnered by ISRO and JAXA.

Technical specifications

The LUPEX mission will include a rover and a lander, each designed for specific scientific and technical purposes. JAXA will build the rover, which is expected to weigh about 350 kilograms, much larger than the 26 kilogram Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3. The larger size will allow the LUPEX rover to carry more scientific instruments for more complex analyses.

The rover developed by JAXA for the LUPEX mission will autonomously navigate the lunar surface in search of potentially water-rich areas. It will be equipped with drills to extract soil samples, which will then be analyzed using onboard instruments. These instruments will measure the water content in the lunar regolith. In addition, the rover will feature cutting-edge technology in its drive system and energy storage, representing some of the most advanced innovations in lunar exploration in the world. The goal is to collect detailed data to support future lunar missions.

The lander will be built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and will carry the rover. The lander will also carry instruments to study the distribution and quantity of water, as well as in-situ experiments to analyze the lunar surface.

scientific instruments

Mission documents include:

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JAXA’s Resource Exploration Water Analyzer (REIWA) Advanced Lunar Imaging Spectrometer (ALIS),

ISRO’s ground penetrating radar (GPR) and mid-infrared spectrometer (MIR), Lunar Aquatic Reconnaissance Permittivity and Thermophysics Research (PRATHIMA) and Raman spectrometer integrated in REIWA,

NASA’s Neutron Spectrometer (NS) and ESA’s LUPEX Outer Space Mass Spectrometer (EMS-L).

In addition to mission instruments, the rover also has a drilling system for excavation and a sampling system for collecting regolith samples from designated depths by conducting in-situ measurements to directly measure lunar water to achieve mission objectives.

Exploring the Moon’s Polar Regions

Exploring the moon’s polar regions is important because recent analyzes have shown the presence of water, particularly near the moon’s north and south poles. If confirmed, this water could be used as a source of energy for future human activities on the moon, such as life support or producing fuel for long-term missions. This potential has prompted countries to increase their efforts in lunar exploration, because access to lunar water resources will be a game changer for sustainable space exploration and colonization.

Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
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