ISRO chief S Somnath informed at the National Space Science Symposium (NSSS 2024) that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is preparing to launch the next lunar mission Chandrayaan-4. This mission will include five spacecraft modules.
Modules of Chandrayaan-4
- Unlike Chandrayaan-3, which had three main components, Chandrayaan-4 will consist of five main modules:
- Propulsion Module
- Descender Module (to land on the Moon)
- Ascender Module (to exit the lander with samples)
- Transfer Module (to take the ascender module out of lunar orbit)
- Re-entry Module (to land on Earth with moon samples)
Two-Phase Launch
- The five components of the Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission will be launched in two phases.
- In the first phase, the propulsion, descender, and ascender modules will be launched, similar to the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
- In the second phase, the transfer and re-entry modules will be launched on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Launch Vehicles
- India’s heaviest launch vehicle, LVM-3, will launch the propulsion, descender, and ascender modules.
- The transfer and re-entry modules will be launched on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
- This will be the first ISRO mission utilizing two launch vehicles for a single mission.
Main Objectives The main objectives of the Chandrayaan-4 mission are:
- Safe and soft landing on the lunar surface
- Lunar sample collection and containerization
- Rising from the moon’s surface
- Docking and undocking in lunar orbit
- Transferring samples from one module to another
- Return and re-entry to Earth with moon samples for scientific study