Mission Goal: Exploring Moon’s south pole to study water ice in shadowed craters.
New Delhi , August 29, 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Tokyo on August 29, 2025, announced a historic collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for the upcoming Chandrayaan-5 mission, also known as LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration). As part of the joint venture, India will design and develop the lander, while Japan will contribute a rover, with the mission slated for launch in 2027–28 aboard Japan’s advanced H3 rocket. The project’s core objective is to conduct detailed exploration of the Moon’s south polar region, with a particular focus on detecting and analyzing water ice located in permanently shadowed craters—an area of immense scientific and future space resource value.
In an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, PM Modi underlined that the Indo-Japanese partnership is not limited to technological cooperation but is also creating an ecosystem of innovation, encouraging startups and industries in both nations to collaborate across the entire chain of space exploration—ranging from research labs to real-world applications. He highlighted that the mission represents more than just a scientific endeavor; it stands as a symbol of humanity’s collective progress, strengthening global scientific cooperation while offering tangible benefits on Earth in fields such as agriculture, disaster management, and communication technologies.
This announcement also aligns with India’s broader space vision. Following the landmark success of Chandrayaan-3’s landing near the lunar south pole in 2023, and with preparations underway for Chandrayaan-4, which aims at a lunar sample return mission, ISRO is accelerating its presence in global space exploration through strategic partnerships. Modi’s Tokyo declaration marks a significant milestone in the Indo-Japanese space alliance, setting the stage for a new era of collaborative lunar exploration under Chandrayaan-5/LUPEX.
