The road to development and growth has been a slow but steady one for India. Be it politically, socially, or scientifically, India has always longed for more. It is this hunger that has aided the country in achieving milestones it didn’t even know it could come close to achieving. The recent success with the lunar mission-3 is testimony to this fact. It is not just another chapter in history books, but also a representation of the fact that with right amount of ambition and zeal, we can reach new heights.

With the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface in 2023, India has shown the world its scientific prowess. We are the fourth to land on the moon’s surface after USA, China and Russia, and the first one to land near its South Pole. This has raised the bar of expectations even higher for the next, Chandrayaan-4.

Brief History of India’s Lunar Trips

Building a craft and sending it to the moon didn’t just happen overnight. It took a lot of time, effort, energy and huge sums of money to reach where we are today. The contributions of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) have been commendable.

India’s first successful attempt at reaching the moon was in 2008 with Chandrayaan -1, even though there were a few lags here and there. Nevertheless, it still accomplished the goal of tracing the presence of water molecules on the Moon’s surface. This was a new found discovery, following which, the rest of the World started seeing India as a great competitor in the area of space exploration.

After about a decade, India was set to send a second, Chandrayaan-2 to the moon in 2019, consisting of an orbiter, and lander named Vikram and a rover called Pragyan. The aim was to explore the lunar South Pole. It too wasn’t a massive success, but it was still a success with the craft crash landing on the moon.

Next came the Chandrayaan-3 in 2023 with the sole intention of having a soft landing on the surface of the moon. It did achieve this goal, while also landing close to the South Pole, making India the first nation to do so. It was a really proud moment for all the citizens.

Is Chandrayaan-4 in the making?

With grand historic moments with the three Chandrayaans, all eyes have been on the nation and its verdict on whether a fourth is on its way.

On September 18 this year, PM Narendra Modi headed the Union Cabinet gave the approving nod to Chandrayaan 4- a lunar sample return mission. This mission is set with the aim to land safely and soundly on the lunar surface, gather samples of rocks and soil, and also come back, which will be the key highlight. The chair also aims to hold a manned mission to the moon and a return by the year 2040. The development and launch responsibility of the Chandrayaan-4 remains with ISRO. It is expected that within 36 months from now, i.e. the approval, the craft will be completed and ready to be launched. All the necessary technologies that will be involved in the making and the entire process will be developed indigenously. The total cost is expected to be around Rs. 2104.06 Crore.

Key Innovations in Chandrayaan-4 Compared to Chandrayaan-3

Every major event or a happening has a first time that eventually becomes the source of experience to go for it again. Similarly, the three missions to the Moon so far have been the stepping stones that now eventually lead to Chandrayaan-4, likely to be launched in 2027.

While the three rounds have been a success, there were a few glitches which will now be kept in mind and improvised upon, during the next round.

The goal that was attached to Chandrayaan-3 was to successfully make a soft landing on the Moon’s surface. It surpassed all expectations with landing safely, that too near the South Pole of the Moon. Now, Chandrayaan-4 is expected to make a safe and sound landing, collect rock and soil samples from the Moon’s surface and also return to the Earth.

Chandrayaan-3 had 3 modules- the orbiter, the lander and the Rover, but now, Chandrayaan-4 will have a complex set of 5 modules. Upon entering the Moon’s orbit, 2 of these modules will detach themselves from the spacecraft to land on the moon, collect the said samples, and return to the craft. A separate Earth re-entry vehicle will be launched and the returned module will transfer the collected sample to this re-entry vehicle. This is how the samples are expected to be brought to Earth.

The possibility of a better operational life is there in the case of Chandrayaan-4. Where the predecessor had a life of about 14 days, Chandrayaan 4 would likely be conceptualized so that it can last not days, but months.

There would be a better resource utilization in the launch that is set to happen in 2024.

In terms of its capabilities also, the Chandrayaan 4 ought to be better than Chandrayaan 3 which had limited exploratory capability.

With a mission so grand, the authorities will definitely take care to use better and latest technology such as navigation guided by AI for Chandrayaan 4, as opposed to just cameras and sensors that went in Chandrayaan-3.

How will Chandrayaan-4 Impact India’s Space Leadership?

India has marked its place in scientific history with the Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft landing on the Southern Pole of the Moon’s surface. Now, with Chandrayaan 4, India is all focused on making a Lunar sample return mission possible. With this, it also aims to get ISRO recognised globally with much higher dignity.

India’s economy will also see a boost with its leadership in Space as the innovations used for Chandrayaan-4 will be like never before. All the sourcing, that too indigenous, will indirectly also benefit the manufacturers and the communication technologies.

There has been an immense pride that has come along with the success of Chandrayaan – 3. The fourth could ignite curiosity among the young minds and encourage them to take more interest in space and pursue related careers, giving India brighter and even better scientists.

What the Future Holds

The preparations for the grand launch are happening with full force. Who can even predict the future? But with hopes high on the success of this much-anticipated mission as well, India will find itself ranked among the top countries in space relations. Chandrayaan 1, 2 and 3 have been successes and lessons, which will be worked upon in the next Chandrayaan-4 and who knows, India might just become the hub of emerging scientists and astronauts.

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