Chandrayaan-4 To Bring Back Lunar Samples From Moon To Earth, Cabinet Approves ISRO Mission With Rs 2,104 Crore Budget

After the success of Chandrayaan-3, the Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Chandrayaan-4, India's next mission to the Moon.

It will develop and demonstrate the technologies to come back to Earth after successfully landing on the Moon and also collect lunar samples and analyse them on Earth.

"This Chandrayaan-4 mission will achieve the foundational technologies capabilities eventually for an Indian landing on the moon (planned by year 2040) and return safely back to Earth," the government said.

The technology demonstration mission Chandrayaan-4 is expected to cost Rs 2104.06 Crore and demonstrate technologies required for docking/undocking, landing and safe return to earth.

"A natural successor to the successful landing mission is the demonstration of the ability to collect Lunar Samples and return them safely back to Earth," the press release said.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be responsible for the development of spacecraft and launch. All the critical technologies are envisaged to be indigenously developed.

It is expected that the mission would enable India to be self-sufficient in critical foundational technologies for manned missions, lunar sample return and scientific analysis of Lunar samples.

Indian space programme envisages an Indian Space Station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station) by 2035 and Indian Landing on the Moon by 2040, for which a series of Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan missions are needed.

The successful demonstration of safe and soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 Lander on the Lunar Surface has established vital technologies and demonstrated capabilities that only few other nations possess.