ISRO Chief Confirms Centre's Approval for Chandrayaan-5 Mission with Japan

V Narayana, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro), stated that the Centre has approved the Chandrayaan-5 mission to the Moon. Narayanan stated that the mission will be a collaborative project with Japan, according to the news agency PTI.

"Just three days back we got the approval for the Chandrayaan-5 mission. We will be doing it in association with Japan," the Isro chief said.

Narayan also disclosed that the rover on Chandrayaan-5 will be ten times heavier than the one on Chandrayaan-3, which had the 25-kg rover named 'Pragyaan.' Chandrayaan-5 will be preceded by Chandryaan-4, due to be launched in 2027 to bring samples collected from the Moon.

The Chandrayaan mission is focused on exploring the surface of the Moon. Chandrayaan-1, which was launched successfully in 2008, conducted chemical, mineralogical, and photogeological mapping of the Moon. The Chandrayaan-2 mission (2019) achieved a 98 percent success rate, but only two percent of the mission was unsuccessful in the final phases.

However, the onboard high-resolution camera on Chandrayaan-2 keeps transmitting hundreds of images, Narayanan, also the Secretary of the Department of Space, mentioned.

Chandrayaan-3, a subsequent mission to Chandrayaan-2, showcased Isro's complete ability to land safely and explore the Moon’s surface.

On August 23, 2023, Isro accomplished a successful 'soft-landing' of Chandrayaan-3 at the Moon's South Pole, making India the fifth country to successfully achieve a soft-landing (alongside the US, Russia, China, and Japan) on the lunar surface and the first to land at the South Pole.