The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) after its historic success with the Chandrayaan-3 mission is already gearing up for the next lunar mission named Chandrayaan-4.
The mission will not be launched in a single phase like its predecessor, instead, two separate launches will push vehicles that will not only land on the Moon but also return rocks and soils (lunar regolith) from the lunar surface to India.
While Chandrayaan-3 consisted of three main components - lander, rover and the propulsion module, the Chandrayaan-4 mission will have two more additional components tasked to return the samples from the Moon and drop them on Earth.
The Chandrayaan-4 components will consist of five spacecraft modules, according to a presentation by Isro chief S Somnath at the National Space Science Symposium. The five modules will be:
* Propulsion Module: Similar to Chandrayaan-3, the propulsion module will guide Chandrayaan-4 in lunar orbit, before separating.
* Descender Module: This module will make the lunar landing, similar to the Vikram lander on Chandrayaan-3.
* Ascender Module: Once the samples are collected and stored, the ascender module will eject from the lander and begin returning to Earth.
* Transfer Module: It will be responsible for grabbing the ascender module and getting it out of lunar orbit. It will journey back to Earth before the capsule with the rock and soil samples detach.
* Re-entry Module: This will be the capsule carrying the lunar regolith that will land on Earth after a return journey from the Moon.
The five components of the Chandrayaan-4 mission will not be launched together. According to Isro Chief, India's heaviest launch vehicle LVM-3 will launch with three components, which will include the Propulsion Module, the Descender Module and the Ascender Module.
This will be a similar launch to the Chandrayaan-3 mission in 2023.
The Transfer Module and the Re-entry Module will be launched aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Isro is yet to reveal finer details as to which launch will be the first.
This will, however, be the first such mission involving two launch vehicles aimed at completing a single mission.
Chandrayaan-4 aims to build on the accomplishments of the recently concluded Chandrayaan-3 mission while attempting more complex objectives. If successful, Chandrayaan-4 will make India only the fourth nation to bring back samples from the lunar surface.
