Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials met with a Japanese space delegation on Wednesday to review the progress of the Chandrayaan-5 mission, a joint lunar exploration project scheduled for 2028. The Japanese team, comprising scientists from the Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), visited the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru to discuss the mission’s status and technical coordination.
The Chandrayaan-5 mission, also known as the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX), aims to study water and water-ice on the lunar surface and subsurface. ISRO is building the lander module, while JAXA is developing the rover, which will be launched on a Japanese rocket, H3. The mission will carry seven scientific instruments, including payloads from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
During the meeting, scientists from ISRO and JAXA discussed the technical coordination required for Inter Spacecraft Communication of Chandrayaan-5. They also took stock of the onboard payloads and the possible launch window, which is likely to be in 2028. Last week, JAXA successfully performed the second Payload Operations Simulation at Tsukuba Space Center, testing the complex operational scenario involving both spacecraft bus and payload operations.
The Chandrayaan-5 mission was approved by the Indian government in March 2025, following the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which landed on the lunar south pole in August 2023. ISRO’s immediate next mission to the moon will be the Chandrayaan-4 mission.
In related news, the assembly, integration, and testing of the Crew and Service Modules of the Gaganyaan-1 human spaceflight mission are nearing completion, according to Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh. The mission’s status and completed tasks were detailed in a written reply to Jaipur MP Rao Rajendra Singh.
The Gaganyaan-1 uncrewed mission was originally scheduled for launch in late 2025 but was later pushed to the first quarter of 2026. Although the revised launch date has not been released, Singh had earlier stated that the G-1 launch would take place before March 2026.
