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Lunar Polar Exploration Mission

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The Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX),[6] is a planned joint lunar mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).[7][8] The mission would send an uncrewed lunar lander and rover to explore the south pole region of the Moon no earlier than 2028.[4][5] It is envisaged to explore the permanently shadowed regions and to determine the quantity and quality of water on the Moon.[9] JAXA is likely to provide the H3 launch vehicle and the rover, while ISRO would be providing the lander.[10][11]

Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX)
Mission type
Operator
Websitewww.exploration.jaxa.jp/e/program/lunarpolar/
Mission duration6 months (planned) [1]
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerLauncher and rover: JAXA
Lander: ISRO
Launch mass≈ 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) [2]
Payload mass≈ 350 kg (770 lb) (lander with rover) [3]
Powerwatts
Start of mission
Launch date2028–29 (planned)[4]
RocketH3[5]
Launch siteTanegashima, LA-Y
ContractorMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Moon lander
Spacecraft componentRover
Landing siteSouth polar region
Moon rover

LUPEX will follow the planned lunar sample-return mission Chandrayaan-4.[4]

History

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed an Implementation Arrangement (IA) in December 2017 for pre-phase A, phase A study and completed the feasibility report in March 2018 with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)[12] to explore the polar regions of Moon for water[13] with a joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX) that would be launched no earlier than 2028.[4][14]

ISRO and JAXA held the Joint Mission Definition Review (JMDR) in December 2018. By the end of 2019, JAXA concluded its internal Project Readiness Review.[15]

Since Chandrayaan-2's lander crashed on the Moon during its landing attempt in September 2019, India started to study a new lunar mission named Chandrayaan-3 as a repeat attempt to demonstrate the landing capabilities needed for the LUPEX.[16]

In a joint statement by JAXA and NASA on 24 September 2019, the possibility of NASA joining the LUPEX mission was discussed.[17]

JAXA finished its domestic System Requirement Review (SRR) in early 2021.[18] In April 2023, LUPEX Working Group 1 arrived in India to share information of landing site analysis on promised candidate sites, methods of estimating lander and rover position on moon, information of ground antennas for command and telemetry.[19]

India's Space Commission authorized ISRO to begin work on the LUPEX mission on October 7, 2024. The union cabinet has received the report, and approval is anticipated shortly.[20]

Overview

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The Lunar Polar Exploration mission would demonstrate new surface exploration technologies related to vehicular transport and lunar night survival for sustainable lunar exploration in polar regions.[21][11] For precision landing it would utilize a feature matching algorithm and navigational equipment derived from JAXA's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission.[2][22] The lander's payload capacity would be 350 kg (770 lb) at minimum.[3][1][23] The rover would carry multiple instruments by JAXA and ISRO including a drill to collect sub-surface samples from 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) depth.[24][1] Water prospecting and analysis are likely to be mission objectives.[10][25]

The European Space Agency's Exospheric Mass Spectrometer L-band (EMS-L) of PROSPECT mission was originally planned to fly as a payload on the Russian Luna 27 mission,[26][27] however EMS-L will now fly on this mission due to continued international collaboration being thrown into doubt by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions on Russia.[28][29] Payload proposals from other space agencies might be sought.[7][22]

The lander has been fully re-engineered by ISRO, which required the development of a new engine. The same engine will be used by ISRO in the future for crewed lunar landing missions. The LUPEX mission will test this engine, developed by Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). The rover now weighs 350 kg, while the lander is heavier (in comparison to the original design). The rover is mounted externally since it is heavy and cannot be transported within the lander like it was in Chandrayaan-3. A sky crane like arrangement has now been designed to deploy it on the Moon's surface.[20]

One of the main challenges ahead is choosing a specific landing location, according to Inoue Hiroka, a researcher with the Lunar Polar Exploration Project Team at JAXA's Space Exploration Center. Landing at the south polar zone of the Moon is the plan, as it is thought to have a high probability of having water. There aren't many level places in this area, though, that are perfect for landing and guaranteeing adequate lighting and communication. The team intends to make its landing site public as soon as they determine the ideal place, since other nations may select the same area.[30]

Payloads

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Some selected Japanese instruments along with the candidate instruments of ISRO and ESA and the invited international collaborators by JAXA.[18][31]

  • Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR): Underground radar observation up to 1.5 meter during rover traverse. (ISRO)
  • Neutron Spectrometer (NS): Underground neutron (hydrogen) observation up to one meter during rover traverse. (NASA)
  • Advanced Lunar Imaging Spectrometer (ALIS): H
    2    O    /OH observation of the surface and drilled regolith.
  • Exospheric Mass Spectrometer for LUPEX (EMS-L): Surface gas pressure and chemical species measurement. (ESA)
  • REsource Investigation Water Analyzer (REIWA): Instrument package of the four instruments.
    • Lunar ThermoGravimetric Analyzer (LTGA): Thermogravimetric analyses of the drilled samples for water content.
    • TRIple-reflection reflecTrON (TRITON): Identification of chemical species of the volatile component in the drilled samples based on mass spectrometry.
    • Aquatic Detector using Optical REsonance (ADORE): Water content measurement in the drilled samples based on cavity ring-down spectrometry.
    • ISRO Sample Analysis Package: Mineralogical and elemental measurement of the drilled samples. (ISRO)
  • Permittivity and Thermo-physical Investigation for Moon's Aquatic Scout (PRATHIMA):[32] For in-situ detection and quantification of water-ice mixed with lunar regolith. The proposed experiment consists of a multipurpose probe that will be deployed into ~20-30 cm of the lunar surface to scout and quantify the presence of water-ice. (PRL)
  • Alpha Particle Spectrometer (APS):[32] To measure the alpha particles in the decay chain and to understand the volatile transport on the lunar surface along with measurements from LEGRS. (PRL)
  • Low Energy Gamma Ray Spectrometer (LEGRS):[32] For measuring low energy (46.5 keV) gamma ray line to study the volatile transport on the Moon with Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors. (PRL)

Following are proposed payloads:

  • LUnar Micrometeorite EXperiment (LUMEX):[32] To measure velocity, flux and mass of incoming micrometeorites on moon and derive volatile escape from the lunar surface. (PRL)
  • Lunar Electrostatic Dust EXperiment (LEDEX):[32] To detect presence of charged dust particles and confirm the dust levitation process in volatile-rich polar region. (PRL)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "国際協力による月探査計画への参画に向けて参考資料" (PDF). MEXT.GO. 29 August 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "月離着陸実証(HERACLES)ミッションの紹介 と検討状況" (PDF). 28 January 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b Hoshino, Takeshi; Wakabayashi, Sachiko; Ohtake, Makiko; Karouji, Yuzuru; Hayashi, Takahiro; Morimoto, Hitoshi; Shiraishi, Hiroaki; Shimada, Takanobu; Hashimoto, Tatsuaki; Inoue, Hiroka; Hirasawa, Ryo; Shirasawa, Yoji; Mizuno, Hiroyasu; Kanamori, Hiroshi (November 2020). "Lunar polar exploration mission for water prospection - JAXA's current status of joint study with ISRO". Acta Astronautica. 176: 52–58. Bibcode:2020AcAau.176...52H. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.05.054. S2CID 219757738.
  4. ^ a b c d Jones, Andrew (23 October 2024). "India to target moon's south pole with sample return mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b Shimbun, The Yomiuri (30 July 2019). "Japan, India to team up in race to discover water on moon". The Japan News. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  6. ^ "ISRO working on ambitious lunar missions LUPEX, Chandrayaan-4: Official". The Economic Times. 17 November 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b "India's next Moon shot will be bigger, in pact with Japan". The Times of India. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021. For our next mission — Chandrayaan-3 — which will be accomplished in collaboration with JAXA (Japanese Space Agency), we will invite other countries too to participate with their payloads.
  8. ^ "Global Exploration Roadmap - Supplement August 2020 - Lunar Surface Exploration Scenario Update" (PDF). NASA. August 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ Hindu, The (31 January 2024). "India's next moon mission will be precursor to the country's ambitious lunar sample return mission: PRL Director". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Episode 82: JAXA and International Collaboration with Professor Fujimoto Masaki". Astro Talk UK. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  11. ^ a b Hoshino, Takeshi; Ohtake, Makiko; Karouji, Yuzuru; Shiraishi, Hiroaki (May 2019). "Current status of a Japanese lunar polar exploration mission". Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Welcome to Embassy of India, Tokyo (Japan)". www.indembassy-tokyo.gov.in. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  13. ^ Harding, Robin; Kazmin, Amy (4 January 2018). "India and Japan prepare joint mission to the moon". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  14. ^ Goh, Deyana (8 December 2017). "JAXA & ISRO to embark on Joint Lunar Polar Exploration". SpaceTech Asia. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Progress Of Lunar Polar Exploration Mission" (PDF). October 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  16. ^ "ISRO Will Embark on Chandrayaan 3 by November 2020 for Another Landing Attempt". The WIRE. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  17. ^ "JAXA - Joint Statement on Cooperation in Lunar Exploration". JAXA - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Current Status Of The Planned Lunar Polar Exploration Mission Jointly Studied By India And Japan" (PDF). 18 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Japanese team reviews Lunar Polar Exploration mission with ISRO". The Hindu. 27 April 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  20. ^ a b Kumar, Chethan (7 October 2024). "Eyes on moon: National space panel clears India's 5th lunar mission Lupex; lander engine to be used to land humans on moon". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  21. ^ Sasaki, Hiroshi (17 June 2019). "JAXA's Lunar Exploration Activities" (PDF). UNOOSA. p. 8. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  22. ^ a b NASA Exploration Science Forum 2019 - Masaki Fujimoto. NASA. 23–25 July 2019. Event occurs at 3 minute 6 seconds. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Objective and Configuration of a Planned Lunar Polar Exploration Mission" (PDF). 1 February 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Japan Sets Sights on Moon with NASA and India". Space.com. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  25. ^ "Six-day cruise lies ahead for India's Chandrayaan-2 probe before the real lunar shenanigans begin". The Register. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  26. ^ "ESA - Exploration of the Moon - About PROSPECT". exploration.esa.int. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  27. ^ "LUNAR DRILL | Astronika". astronika.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  28. ^ Witze, Alexandra (11 March 2022). "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is redrawing the geopolitics of space". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00727-x. PMID 35277688. S2CID 247407886. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Redirecting ESA programmes in response to geopolitical crisis". www.esa.int. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  30. ^ Singh, Abhinav (7 October 2024). "India-Japan moon project 'LUPEX' cleared. Here's all you need to know". The Week. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  31. ^ 月極域探査機（LUPEX） 【オンライン特別公開 #26】. JAXA. 7 April 2021. Event occurs at 10 minute 8 seconds. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  32. ^ a b c d e "Instrument Details ISRO-JAXA LUPEX Rover". Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
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