LUPEX: India-Japan Joint Lunar Exploration Mission Overview

Mission Overview and Objectives

• LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration Mission) approved as India's fifth lunar mission
• Collaborative effort between ISRO (India) and JAXA (Japan)
• Primary goal: Investigate water and valuable resources in the Moon's south polar regions
• Aims to assess quantity and distribution of water on and beneath the lunar surface
• Mission designed to operate for up to 100 days on the lunar surface
• Targets permanently shadowed regions for exploration

Technical Specifications and Instruments

• JAXA responsible for developing the rover and launch vehicle
• ISRO tasked with creating the lander system

Rover specifications:

• • Weight: Approximately 350 kg (significantly larger than Chandrayaan-3's 26 kg Pragyan rover)
  • Equipped with a drill for extracting soil samples
  • Features autonomous navigation capabilities

Lander equipped with advanced scientific instruments:

• • Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
  • Mid-Infrared Spectrometer (MIR)
  • Raman Spectrometer
  • Permittivity and Thermophysical Investigation for Moon's Aquatic Scout (PRATHIMA)

Additional instruments from NASA and ESA:

• • NASA's Neutron Spectrometer (NS)
  • ESA's Exospheric Mass Spectrometer for LUPEX (EMS-L)

Mission Significance and Future Implications

• Extends lunar exploration capabilities beyond Chandrayaan-3's achievements
• Supports development of technologies for future lunar missions
• Contributes to understanding lunar water resources for potential human activities
• Paves the way for future sample return missions
• Aligns with India's goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2040
• Strengthens international cooperation in space exploration

Timeline and Current Status

• Launch tentatively scheduled for 2025
• Mission cleared by India's National Space Commission
• Awaiting cabinet clearance for final approval
• Development progressing steadily despite COVID-19 delays
• Several years of preparation still required before launch readiness