The Union Cabinet has approved the next lunar mission “Chandrayaan-4”, which will develop and test technology for returning to Earth after safely landing on the moon, as well as collecting and analyzing lunar samples on Earth, according to the statement.
During the Amrit Kaal, the Indian government laid out a comprehensive vision for India’s space program, including building the Indian Space Station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station) by 2035 and an Indian landing on the Moon by 2040. To achieve this objective, a number of Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan follow-on missions are being planned, including the development of space transportation compatibility and infrastructure capabilities.
ISRO will handle the spacecraft development and launch. The project will be effectively managed and monitored through established procedures in place at ISRO. This goal is expected to be completed within 36 months and approved with the participation of industry and academia.
The Chandrayaan-4 mission will finally achieve the critical technological capabilities of India’s moon landing (scheduled for 2040) and safe return to Earth. The major technologies required for safe landing/launch, landing, and return to Earth, as well as lunar sample collection and analysis, will be presented.
The total fund requirement for the “Chandrayaan-4” technology demonstration campaign is Rs 2,104.06 crore, the statement said.
The costs include the development and completion of the spacecraft, the deployment of two LVM3 launch vehicles, the support of the outer space deep space network and the conduct of special tests to verify the design, ultimately leading to a mission to land on the moon and return to Earth safely with a lunar sample collected.
Looking at Chandrayaan-3
On August 23, India became the first country to land a spacecraft safely on the southern region of the moon. The mission marked a milestone by reaching the safe and soft surface of the Vikram Lander and deploying the Pragyaan rover to the south pole of the Moon.
The Government of India has officially designated 23 August as “National Space Day” to celebrate the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission. Last month, India celebrated its first National Space Day.
Here are two upcoming projects of ISRO:
Aditya-L1
Aditya L1 (Aditya is the name of the sun in Hindi) is India’s first solar probe. The spacecraft will be placed in an orbit around the Lagrange 1 (L1) point of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km (930,000 miles) from Earth, where the effects of the two bodies’ gravitation cancel.
Gaganyan
India’s first space mission (“Gagan” means sky in Hindi, “yaan” is craft) plans to launch a crew of three into a 400-kilometer (250-mile) orbit for a three-day mission before landing in Indian waters.