Union Cabinet Briefing: Government Approves Chandrayaan 4 Mission To Retrieve Lunar Samples

The government on Wednesday approved several space missions, including the Chandrayaan 4 mission to retrieve lunar samples and bring them back to Earth, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced during a Cabinet briefing.

The Chandrayaan 4 lunar spacecraft will comprise five modules and two stacks. The first stack will have an ascent module and descender module for collecting lunar samples. The second stack will contain propulsion, transfer, and re-entry modules to carry the samples back to Earth.

The mission, costing Rs 2,104 crore, is expected to launch in three years and demonstrate technologies for future manned ventures to the Moon and their return to Earth.

The Chandrayaan series are lunar missions undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation, with the first successful launch in 2008. Last year, Chandrayaan 3 achieved the milestone of soft landing on lunar south pole, the first by any country.

The Chandrayaan-4 mission aims to establish key technological capabilities necessary for India’s planned lunar landing by 2040, including a safe return to Earth. The mission will demonstrate essential technologies for docking and undocking, landing, and lunar sample collection and analysis, according to government officials.

• Cabinet approves Rs 8,240 crore for next generation space vehicle plan.

• Cabinet enhances grant to Rs 20,193 crore for Gaganyaan follow-on missions.

• Cabinet approves Rs 2,104 crore for expansion of Chandrayaan 4.

• Cabinet approves Rs 1,236 crore for Venus Orbiter Mission.

The government approved the 'Venus Orbiter Mission', India's first interplanetary mission to Earth's closest neighbour. This mission will conduct scientific studies of Venusian surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes and influence of Sun on Venusian atmosphere. The project is valued at Rs 1,236 crore, with the probe set to launch in March 2028.

Of the total outlay, Rs 824 crore will be spent on the spacecraft. The cost includes development of the spacecraft, including its specific payloads and technology elements, global ground station support cost for navigation and network as well as the cost of launch vehicle.

This will be India's second interplanetary mission, after the 2013 launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission, unofficially known as Mangalyaan.

The cabinet approved the development of Next Generation Launch Vehicle to attain capabilities for establishing and operating an indigenous space station 'Bharatiya Antariksh Station' and crewed missions to the Moon by 2040.

NGLV will have 3 times the present payload capability with 1.5 times the cost compared to LVM3, and will also have reusability resulting in low-cost access to space and modular green propulsion systems.

Currently, India's arsenal has state-of-the-art launch vehicles like PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 and SSLV.

The NGLV will be demonstrated with three development flights, with a target of eight years for the completion of the development phase. The total fund approved is Rs 8,240 crore.

The Gaganyaan programme has been revised to include the scope of development and precursor missions for Bharatiya Antariksh Station, and factoring one additional uncrewed mission and additional hardware requirement.

The human spaceflight program will be completed by December 2028 by launching first unit of BAS-1.

The government has greenlit additional funding of Rs 11,170 crore in the programme, taking the the total outlay for Gaganyaan to Rs 20,193 crore.