India has officially taken another major step in lunar exploration with the approval of the Chandrayaan-5 mission. Announced by ISRO Chairman V Narayanan on March 16, 2025, this mission will be a collaboration between India’s ISRO and Japan’s JAXA, aiming to conduct an advanced study of the Moon’s surface with an enhanced 250 kg rover.

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• The Chandrayaan-5 mission was approved on March 13, 2025, by the Indian government.
• It will be a collaboration between ISRO (India) and JAXA (Japan).
• The mission aims for a detailed study of the Moon’s surface, focusing on mineralogical and geological analysis.
• Chandrayaan-5 will deploy a 250 kg rover, which is 10 times heavier than the Pragyan rover from Chandrayaan-3.
• This mission marks a significant leap in India’s lunar technology and exploration capabilities.
• The Chandrayaan-5 mission is expected to launch in 2028.
• Previous Chandrayaan missions have had mixed results, with Chandrayaan-3 achieving the first successful soft landing at the Moon’s south pole in 2023.
• The Chandrayaan-4 mission, expected in 2027, aims to collect lunar soil samples and bring them back to Earth.
• Future plans include Gaganyaan (India’s first manned space mission) and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (India’s own space station by 2035).
• This mission strengthens India’s collaboration with Japan and enhances the country’s space exploration ambitions.