Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for a return lunar mission, where samples from the Moon will be brought back for the first time, officials from the agency said, setting the stage for the next leap in the country’s space programme after the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission last year.
The mission is expected to take flight by 2027 or 2028, the officials said.
“We are currently focusing on return lunar missions, which might take shape by 2027 or 2028,” ISRO chairman S Somanath said.
The technology for such missions was tested during the Chandrayaan-3 mission including the hop experiment where the lander Vikram was powered again and landed at a spot different from its initial location of landing.
The propulsion module of the spacecraft also returned to the Earth’s orbit to test its capabilities for a return mission, the ISRO chief said.
On August 23 last year, the Indian space agency created history by successfully landing the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft near the lunar south pole, a feat that had not been achieved by any other country.
The fourth lunar mission aims to collect samples from the lunar surface, demonstrate docking and undocking capabilities in the lunar orbit, demonstrate transfer of samples from one module to another, and to ensure that the module safely re-enters Earth and deliver the collected samples, senior Isro officials said.
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