NEW DELHI: India and Japan have formalised a partnership on Chandrayaan‑5, a joint lunar mission targeting the elusive and scientifically rich South Pole crater zones. The agreement was signed Saturday by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo.
Dubbed LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration), the mission aims to explore the lunar South Pole’s Permanently Shadowed Regions—key to revealing volatile compounds such as frozen water, which may hold clues to lunar evolution and future space habitation.
Under the arrangement, JAXA will launch the mission using its H3‑24L rocket, carrying an Indian-made lunar lander equipped with a Japanese rover. ISRO will also deliver several scientific instruments aboard the lander to conduct in-situ analysis of surface and subsurface volatiles.
Reflecting on the collaboration, PM stressed its significance in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun: “I am glad that India and Japan are joining hands for the next edition of the Chandrayaan series or the LUPEX mission. This will contribute to deepening our understanding of the permanently shadowed regions at the lunar South Pole.”
He also highlighted the strategic benefits of the government-to-government space collaboration, saying, “Our G2G collaboration in the space sector, between ISRO and JAXA, is fostering a culture of cooperation between our industries and startups.
This is creating an ecosystem where innovation flows both ways — from labs to launch pads, and from research to real‑world applications. He expressed confidence in the combined scientific capabilities of both nations, stating the partnership will “push the boundaries of space science”. “And, our partnership in space will not only expand horizons above us, but also improve lives around us,” he added.
PM underlined the tangible impacts of space science, asserting that breakthroughs in this domain directly influence daily life.