Chandrayaan-3? Moon Mission To Go Bigger As India Plans Pact With Japan

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was not hundred per cent successful in its second moon mission as it lost contact with Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander just before its planned touchdown on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-2 mission still accomplished 90 to 95 per cent of the its objectives as that the orbiter would continue contributing to Lunar science.

After this historic mission, ISRO is getting ready for another shot at moon. ISRO is in talks with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for a mission to explore the moon’s polar region.

According to information on the international cooperation page of ISRO website, ISRO and JAXA scientists are conducting the feasibility study to realize a joint satellite mission to explore the moon’s polar region.

JAXA's asteroid sample-return mission Hayabusa2 has recently completed a successful landing on an asteroid. India will get help of their technical acumen if the joint mission takes place.

According to a report in Times of India, the joint ISRO-JAXA mission may take place in 2024 after the Gaganyaan mission.

Chandrayaan-2 also planned to be a joint venture with Russia. However, that deal did not happen and ISRO went ahead with mission.

India's bold mission to soft-land on moon suffered a setback during the wee hours on Saturday, with Chandrayaan-2s Vikram module losing communication with ground stations, just 2.1 km from the lunar surface during its final descent. The Vikram Lander followed the planned descent trajectory from its orbit of 35 km to just below 2 km above the surface.

HIGHLIGHTS

• ISRO and JAXA are conducting feasibility study to realize a joint satellite mission
• JAXA's Hayabusa2 has recently completed a successful landing on an asteroid
• SRO-JAXA mission may take place in 2024 after the Gaganyaan mission