Next mission to Moon is with Japanese, more of Chandrayaan

Source: The post is based on the article “Next mission to Moon is with Japanese, more of Chandrayaan”  published in Indian Express on 24th August 2023.

What is the News?

ISRO is preparing for one more lunar mission. This one will be in collaboration with Japanese space agency, JAXA. This mission will be called LUPEX or Lunar Polar Exploration Mission.

What is the LUPEX Mission?

LUPEX is a joint mission of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and  Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Aim: 1) To explore lunar polar region suitability for establishing a base on the Moon for sustainable activities 2) obtain knowledge regarding the availability of lunar water-ice resources and 3) demonstrate lunar and planetary surface exploration technologies such as vehicular transport and overnight survival. 

To be Launched in: 2024-25

Contributions: For the LUPEX mission, the launch vehicle and rover are supposed to be contributed by the Japanese agency while the lander will come from ISRO. 

Proposed Instruments of LUPEX: 

Permittivity and Thermo-physical investigation for Moon’s Aquatic Scout (PRATHIMA): It aims to detect and quantify water-ice mixed with lunar soil, achieving in-situ detection and measurement of water content.

Lunar Electrostatic Dust EXperiment (LEDEX): It aims to detect the presence of charged dust particles and to confirm the dust levitation process in the volatile-rich polar region, and to estimate approximate dust size and flux of charged, levitated dust particles/