India to target moon’s south pole with sample return mission
Top Stories Tamfitronics Spacecraft renders for the Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5/LUPEX moon missions. Credit: P. Veeramuthuvel/ISROHELSINKI — India’s Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return mission will target a landing between 85 and 90 degrees latitude in the southern hemisphere of the moon, and follow up with a joint lander and rover mission with Japan.The Chandrayaan-4 mission will consist of two stacks launched on two separate rockets and will target the vicinity of the lunar south pole, according to P. Veeramuthuvel of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), speaking at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, Oct. 17.The mission will aim to collect around three kilograms of samples from near the south pole, around which water-ice is thought to be available. ISRO will require several new technologies, including the ability to scoop from the surface and drill to...
