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From uncrewed moon landings and lunar sample returns to human spaceflight, India’s expanding space program is set to strengthen its position in the global <keyword id="20114940" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-race" source="keywords">space race</keyword>. Under ISRO Chairman S. Somanath’s leadership, India’s space exploration vision includes high-stakes projects like Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5 and the human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan, positioning the nation as a significant player in space exploration. <h2>Chandrayaan-4: India’s first <keyword id="23227406" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunar-sample-return" source="keywords">lunar sample return</keyword> mission </h2>Chandrayaan-4, scheduled for 2028, is one of India’s most anticipated upcoming missions. This mission aims to collect approximately 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds) of lunar samples from a water-ice-rich area near the moon’s south pole. Water ice in the lunar south pole is a prized resource, as it holds the potential to support life support systems and rocket fuel production, making it essential for long-term lunar exploration. Though the United States and Russia completed similar missions decades ago, Somanath highlighted that achieving this feat today is still both complex and costly. India, however, is determined to carry out this mission efficiently, with a budget of 21 billion rupees (roughly $250 million USD). Chandrayaan-4’s mission plan is highly intricate, relying on five spacecraft modules that will require two launches from ISRO’s powerful LVM-3 rocket. This setup includes modules for the lander, sample-collecting vehicle, transfer module, and a reentry module parked in lunar orbit to safely deliver the collected samples back to Earth. To practise in-orbit docking — a critical component of this mission — ISRO is set to launch a $14 million docking experiment (SPADEX) later this year or in early 2025, marking an essential step toward ensuring the mission's success. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111455720" title="ISRO&amp;#39;s Chandrayaan-3 moon mission continues to uncover lunar treasures at Shiv Shakti point" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>A step beyond with Chandrayaan-5</h2>Following Chandrayaan-4, ISRO plans to launch Chandrayaan-5 in collaboration with the Japanese space agency, JAXA. The joint mission aims to leverage strengths of both space agencies, with ISRO developing the lander and JAXA providing the rover. Shortly after Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover had landed near the Moon’s South Pole, Japan’s Smart Lander had landed upside down near the lunar equator. While theC-3’s rover failed to awaken after the lunar night, JAXA’s rover did survive the lunar night and even snapped pictures of the lunar surface after that! This mission, also known as the Lunar Polar Exploration Project (LUPEX), will carry a 770-pound rover contributed by Japan, a significant upgrade from the 60-pound Pragyan rover deployed on Chandrayaan-3. Chandrayaan-5 will further strengthen India’s presence on the moon, targeting the resource-rich south pole, an area of growing international interest. The mission will come after Chandrayaan-4, but S Somnath has confirmed that the plan for the mission is ready already! <h2>Gaganyaan: India’s first human spaceflight </h2>Perhaps the most exciting of India’s upcoming space projects is Gaganyaan, a mission set to take India’s first astronauts to low Earth orbit by 2026. Originally scheduled for 2025, the timeline was extended to prioritise astronaut safety amid recent setbacks in the industry. Recognising the significance of this mission, the Indian government allocated an additional Rs 111 billion to Gaganyaan, bringing the program closer to launch. ISRO’s cautious approach includes a series of uncrewed test flights to evaluate critical systems. An uncrewed test flight, G1, is scheduled for December and will carry a humanoid robot named Vyomitra to test reentry, parachute deployment, and splashdown capabilities. Following G1, three more uncrewed missions will complete this rigorous testing phase. The mission’s crew, including Indian Air Force test pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, has been undergoing intensive training both in India and abroad, including a stint with Axiom Space at the International Space Station (ISS), where Shukla is training under former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Meanwhile, ISRO’s ambitious roadmap also includes future goals to land astronauts on the moon by 2040 and potentially establish a moon base before 2050. With these projects, India is set to establish itself as a formidable force in space exploration. As Somanath expressed in a recent lecture in New Delhi, the next few years will be dedicated to designing, developing and executing these complex missions, marking a new chapter in India’s journey toward the stars. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="108891587" title="European Space Agency Director praises ISRO, calls India&amp;#39;s accomplishments in space &amp;quot;astonishing&amp;quot;" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

ISRO’s ambitious lineup of missions include Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5 and Gaganyaan — likely within the end of this decade!

<ul><li>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) stated that the <keyword id="116095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (ISRO) has ‘inspired’ them with <keyword id="414120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-2">Chandrayaan 2</keyword>. </li><li>NASA also said that it looks forward to future missions with ISRO. </li><li>NASA’s laser reflector arrays were abroad Chandrayaan 2’s lander, Vikram. </li><li>NASA and ISRO are already collaborating to build the most expensive Earth imaging satellite till date — NISAR — pegged to cost $1.5 billion. </li></ul> As the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) tries to figure out <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-fails-in-the-final-seconds-of-descent-to-moons-south-pole/articleshow/71018196.cms">what went wrong</a> with the moon landing, international support is pouring in from all corners of the world. The US’ apex space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), tweeted that that ISRO has ‘inspired’ then with their journey. <div type="twitter" handle="NASA" handlename="NASA" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1091070803184177153/TI2qItoi_normal.jpg" favoritecount="102912" retweetcount="35977" status="Space is hard. We commend @ISRO’s attempt to land their #Chandrayaan2 mission on the Moon’s South Pole. You have in… https://t.co/M2a8mU8eVA" createdat="1567876723000" id="1170385925077131264"></div>

 NASA’s link to Chandrayaan 2 Chandrayaan 2, though primarily an Indian mission, was carrying <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-india-moon-mission-14-high-tech-instruments-to-look-for-water/articleshow/69867398.cms">NASA’s laser instruments</a>. Its laser reflector arrays were aboard <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/everything-you-need-to-know-about-vikram-chandrayaan-2s-lander-as-it-lands-on-the-moon/articleshow/71008396.cms">the lander</a>. NASA has been sending up laser reflector arrays with every mission that’s aiming to land on the Moon. One was also on the Israeli lander, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/israeli-scientists-attempt-at-the-first-private-moon-landing-failed-because-of-a-glitch-that-caused-a-high-speed-crash-into-the-lunar-surface/articleshow/68858222.cms">Beresheet</a>, that crashed into the lunar surface earlier this year. The Moon is already home to five such lasers, according to Simone Dell’Angello, a physicist at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics National Laboratory. The aim of populating the Moon with these instruments is to get an accurate reading of the distance between the Earth and its natural satellite. Retroreflectors are basically very high tech mirrors and their job is to reflect back any lasers signals that Earth sends its way. The reflection from the instruments on the lander would help pinpoint its location. The location, in turn, can be used to calculate the precise distance between the Moon and the Earth. NASA’s history with the Moon Landing on the Moon isn’t easy and nobody knows that better than NASA. It took the US space agency <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunartimeline.html">15 attempts </a>before it finally nailed a hard landing on the Moon. Even NASA’s <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/surveyor.html">Surveyor Program</a> — a series of uncrewed soft landings on the Moon — had to face two failures. NASA’s has plans of its own for 2024 The last time NASA sent humans to the Moon was in 1972 as a part of the Apollo 17 mission. Its last uncrewed mission was back in 2013 when it launched the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080813104358/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=LADEE">LADEE</a>) to intentionally crash into the far side of the Moon. Now, US President Donald Trump is looking to remake US glory by sending astronauts to the Moon again — the mission is called Artemis. He’s even moved up the deadline from 2028 to 2024 — a move that might <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/NASA-says-it-needs-a-1-6-billion-down-payment-from-Congress-to-send-astronauts-back-to-the-moon-within-5-years/articleshow/69331646.cms">cost the US government $1.55 billion</a> as well as reallocating $321 million from other NASA projects. This is on top of NASA’s <a href="http://www.planetary.org/blogs/casey-dreier/2019/0215-fy2019-nasa-gets-its-best-budget-in-decades.html">annual budget</a> of $21.5 billion. And, the spending doesn’t stop there. ISRO and NASA are currently developing a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite — <a href="https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/u-s-india-to-collaborate-on-mars-exploration-earth-observing-mission/">NISAR</a>. The satellite is scheduled to take off in 2020, according to NASA. NISAR is expected to be the most expensive Earth imaging till date with its cost pegged at $1.5 billion. It aims to study the effect of climate change on the environment and the resulting hazards. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2s-orbiter-has-seven-and-a-half-years-to-scan-the-surface-of-the-moon/articleshow/71027327.cms">Chandrayaan 2’s orbiter has seven and a half years to scan the surface of the Moon</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-fails-in-the-final-seconds-of-descent-to-moons-south-pole/articleshow/71018196.cms">Chandrayaan 2 loses contact with the lander in the final seconds of the descent to Moon's surface</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/moon-landing-drama-play-by-play-of-isro-losing-communication-with-chandrayaan-2s-lander/articleshow/71018307.cms">Moon landing drama: Play by play of ISRO losing communication with Chandrayaan 2's lander</a>

NASA 'inspired' by Chandrayaan 2 as it plans to return to the Moon after 7 years

<ul><li>The Moon's South Pole is becoming a popular destination for space exploration as India launches its second lunar mission, <keyword id="414120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-2">Chandrayaan 2</keyword> .</li><li>China, Russia and the US are hot on the trail to land their own missions on the Moon's South as well.</li><li>Countries finally have the technological capability to land in a heavy crater area like the Moon's South Pole.</li><li>The abundance of craters on the lunar South Pole makes it a treasure trove of primary elements trapped in the ice at temperature dipping below -230 degrees Celsius.</li></ul>The Moon's South Pole is in sudden demand and India's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/heres-why-chandrayaan-2-is-landmark-moon-mission-for-india/articleshow/69842571.cms">Chandrayaan 2</a> mission is only the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-why-indias-isro-is-going-to-the-moon/articleshow/69893150.cms">first of many</a> heading to one of the most crater dense regions of the Moon. <keyword id="45499" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan">Chandrayaan</keyword> 2 will be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayan-2-lunar-mission-to-launch-in-july-by-isro/articleshow/69139095.cms">launching tomorrow</a> at 2:15am from the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island. The sudden demand for the South Pole isn't by chance. It's because countries finally have the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-india-moon-mission-14-high-tech-instruments-to-look-for-water/articleshow/69867398.cms">technology</a> to help them land in one of the most highly cratered regions on the moon. "The world is targeting the South Pole. It's not just India — the Americans, the Russians, the Chinese, the Europeans — they're all going to the South Pole," stated Chaitanya Giri, a fellow for space and ocean Studies at Gateway House, a think tank focussing on India's global relations. Moon rush China has its own plans to build a scientific research station on the Moon's South Pole and they're going to start off by sending the <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/24/c_138004666.htm">Chang'e-5</a> there to collect and return with lunar samples by the end of the year. The European Space Agency (<a href="https://spacenews.com/china-sets-sights-on-moons-south-pole-with-esa-collaboration-talks-ongoing/">ESA</a>) is reportedly in talks to collaborate. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/nasa-says-its-plan-to-send-people-back-to-the-moon-could-cost-as-much-as-30-billion/articleshow/69787956.cms">Americans</a> want their astronauts on the South Pole, even though it's not certain whether they will get there by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Trump-wants-to-send-astronauts-back-to-the-moon-but-his-proposed-budget-cuts-NASA-funding-close-to-an-all-time-low/articleshow/62041464.cms">2024 or 2028</a>. Even Russia has the South Pole on their books with <a href="http://www.iki.rssi.ru/eng/moon.htm">Luna-25</a> mission, also known as the Luna Glob Lander. "If you look at missions in the past, we went to places where it was safe to land. The world didn't have the technology to land on slightly off places on the moon. Its takes a while to really practice going to the moon and how to land in certain far away places," Giri told Business Insider India. Panning for resources Since the moon is so crater heavy, the craters and their shadows have been experiencing low temperatures for millions of years going as low as -230 degrees Celsius. "The Moon's South Pole has massive amounts of resources on it, which are not seen and not found in other regions of the moon. You have ices of water, ices of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, probably methane as well," said Giri. And while, the existence of these minerals is speculated, nobody really knows the origins of these volatile compounds. "Are they of lunar origin or have they been delivered by impacting fragments of asteroids and comets? There is quite a curiosity about it," Giri explained. "The ices and the molecules they are formed of, have been lying there for a very long time. All this time these ices have been irradiated by solar, galactic, and cosmic rays - leading to a lot of low-temperature quantum-tunneled chemistry within these ices," he added , concluding that, "Scientists are expecting some exotic stuff that will have far-reaching applications to the high-tech industry." See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-india-moon-mission-14-high-tech-instruments-to-look-for-water/articleshow/69867398.cms">India's second mission to the moon will use these 14 high-tech instruments to look for water</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chandrayaan-2-why-indias-isro-is-going-to-the-moon/articleshow/69893150.cms">Chandrayaan 2 will give India bragging rights even if it doesn't find water</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/heres-why-chandrayaan-2-is-landmark-moon-mission-for-india/articleshow/69842571.cms">India's second moon mission Chandrayaan 2 that will cost ₹10 billion will break new records</a>

India's Chandrayaan 2 takes the lead ahead of America, Russia, and China as the first of many missions to the Moon's South Pole

In the last week of September when India created history as <keyword id="6358064" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO">ISRO</keyword>’s low-cost satellite <keyword id="1506013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mangalyaan">Mangalyaan</keyword> entered Mars’ orbit, becoming the first country to execute such a project in its maiden attempt (a feat that eluded even the Americans and the Soviets), space mission enthusiasts reminisced an ambitious $2.7 billion promise ISRO made five years ago—to launch the first two Indian astronauts into space by 2015. The decision to send astronauts into space followed the successful launch of the country’s first unmanned lunar mission <keyword id="45499" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan">Chandrayaan</keyword> in November 2008, which lent India entry into an elite club of nations that have reached the moon. 
 
Though dubbed by critics as India’s attempt to catch up with bigger neighbour China, which sent astronauts to space way back in 2003, once accomplished the project would make India only the fourth country to have managed a manned space mission—behind the US and Russia, which began their manned space missions in the 1960s, besides China. 
 
However, Indians have all reasons to be proud of the progress the country has made in its space programme from 1970s and 1980s when it built small satellites and light rockets, slowly graduating to manufacturing heavier satellites and more powerful rockets in mid-1990s. In fact, the country can rightfully boast of its stature as having one of the world’s few space programmes capable of launching satellites along with those of the US, Russia, China and Japan. What is more creditable is that India has made giant strides in space programs with a meager annual space budget of around $1.5 billion, compared with $3 billion to $5 billion each for Russia, China, Japan and Europe, and several billions for the US. 
 
However, before Indian astronauts reach space, the country has to overcome seemingly challenging technological and costs hurdles. To begin with, ISRO has to build an effective launcher to lift a spacecraft to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)’s successor GSLV-Mk 3 is capable of lifting a spacecraft weighing up to eight tonnes. However, GSLV, which has failed in four of its first seven flights, has to prove its reliability. Then, ISRO has to build a spacecraft capable of ferrying the astronauts. However, ISRO, which has already conceptualised a 3-tonne spacecraft that can support two astronauts on a two-day space mission, is seen to be on the right track to build the required spacecraft soon. 
 
A few years ago, China reportedly spent $2.5 billion for the first five flights of the Shenzhou lab module, which can support three-person crews for 10 days or more. ISRO’s initial projections for building capabilities for launching a manned space flight—including building launchers, spacecraft and training astronauts—put the costs at $5 billion over several years. Considering inflation must have lifted possible costs much more than these projections, India’s $1.5 billion annual space budget seems quite inadequate. 
 
However, support from Moscow, India’s ally in the Asian space race, will help the country overcome some of these hiccups. Russia is expected to help build the astronaut capsule and select and train the astronauts. Indian astronauts will also get a trial run abroad Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft (Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to be in the space as part of joint space programme between India and Russia in 1984). 
 
 Even technical collaboration with Russia wouldn’t make critics convinced. Considering manned space programmes have no real economic or military applications (the technologies used in such programmes may also have industrial applications at a future date, but those benefits are not significant), they say such progammes are an unwanted luxury for the country where 40 per cent of world’s malnourished children belong and more than 800 million people still survive on half a dollar a day and that poverty alleviation should precede space escapades. 
 
However, space programmes, especially manned ones, have historically been seen as an effective booster of national pride for the countries involved besides a reflection of their technological prowess. Modi’s resurgent India, which is forecast to be among top three global military powers by 2045 along with the US and China, cannot afford to be a laggard when it comes manned space missions where technology, science and adventure perfectly blend.

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ISRO’s ambitious lineup of missions include Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5 and Gaganyaan — likely within the end of this decade!

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