India has taken another step forward in lunar research. Japan has also joined hands with India. India's plan to explore the moon has now become more apparent. Already, the National Space Commission has approved its fifth lunar mission, called the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX). The commission decides on all of India's space missions.
However, the way India had planned Chandrayaan 1-4 missions earlier, the new mission is in stark contrast to the previous missions. Lupex is going to be a joint venture with Japan. India has only one goal through this mission. India wants to send an Indian astronaut to the moon without any hindrance. After seeing the moon closely, the focus was on bringing the astronaut back to the country safely.
The Lupex mission aims to explore the moon to find water and other important resources. It will help India to explore the surface of the moon and to know more about this satellite of the earth.
India and Japan's space agencies had signed an agreement in 2017 to work together on this mission. But the Lupex mission has not progressed so far. There's only one reason for that. After India's Chandrayaan 2 mission, successfully landing yet another spacecraft on the moon has become a challenge. So this is a very important chapter for the success of future lunar missions.
On September 18, the Indian government approved Chandrayaan-4, and Lupex will soon be presented for official approval. ISRO chairman S. Somanath told an all-India daily that it may work on a series of lunar missions to develop the necessary skills in the field of humans landing on the moon in the future. So they expect more approvals in the coming days.
