Lunar exploration mission by India and Japan
The Lunar Polar Exploration mission (LUPEX) is a robotic lunar mission concept by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)[7][8][9] that would send a lunar rover and lander to explore the south pole region of the Moon no earlier than 2025.[10][1][2][6] JAXA is likely to provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover, while ISRO would be responsible for the lander.[8][11]
The mission concept is currently in conceptual phase.[12]
History
ISRO signed an Implementation Arrangement (IA) in December 2017 for pre-phase A, phase A study and completed the feasibility report in March 2018 with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)[13] to explore the polar regions of Moon for water[14] with a joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX) that would be launched no earlier than 2025.[10][1][15]
ISRO and JAXA held the Joint Mission Definition Review (JMDR) in December 2018. By the end of 2019, JAXA concluded its internal Project Readiness Review.[16]
Since Chandrayaan-2's lander crashed on the Moon during its landing attempt in September 2019, India started to study a new lunar mission namely Chandrayaan-3 as a repeat attempt to demonstrate the landing capabilities needed for the LUPEX.[17]
On 24 September 2019, in a joint statement by JAXA and NASA discussed possibility of NASA's participation as well.[18]
JAXA finished its domestic System Requirement Review (SRR) in early 2021.[19]
Overview
The Lunar Polar Exploration mission would demonstrate new surface exploration technologies related to vehicular transport and lunar night survival for sustainable lunar exploration in polar regions.[20][11] For precision landing it would utilize a feature matching algorithm and navigational equipment derived from JAXA's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission.[4][21] The lander's payload capacity would be 350 kg (770 lb) at minimum.[5][3][22] The rover would carry multiple instruments by JAXA and ISRO including a drill to collect sub-surface samples from 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) depth.[23][3] Water prospecting and analysis are likely to be mission objectives.[8][24]
The European Space Agency's Exospheric Mass Spectrometer L-band (EMS-L) of PROSPECT mission was originally planned to fly as a payload on the Russian Luna 27 mission,[25][26] however EMS-L will now fly on this mission due to continued international collaboration being thrown into doubt by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions on Russia.[27][28] Payload proposals from other space agencies might be sought.[7][21]
Payloads
Few selected Japanese instruments along with the candidate instruments of ISRO and ESA and the invited international collaborators by JAXA.[19][29]
- Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR): Underground radar observation up to 1.5 meter during rover traverse. (ISRO)
- Neutron Spectrometer (NS): Underground neutron (hydrogen) observation up to 1 meter during rover traverse. (NASA)
- Advanced Lunar Imaging Spectrometer (ALIS): H
2O/OH observation of the surface and drilled regolith.
- Exospheric Mass Spectrometer for LUPEX (EMS-L): Surface gas pressure and chemical species measurement. (ESA)
- REsourceInvestigation Water Analyzer (REIWA): Instrument package of the four instruments.
- Lunar Thermogravimetric Analyzer (LTGA): Thermogravimetric analyses of the drilled samples for water content.
- TRIple-reflection reflecTrON (TRITON): Identification of chemical species of the volatile component in the drilled samples based on mass spectrometry.
- Aquatic Detector using Optical Resonance (ADORE): Water content measurement in the drilled samples based on cavity ring-down spectrometry.
- ISRO Sample Analysis Package: Mineralogical and elemental measurement of the drilled samples. (ISRO)
- Permittivity and Thermo-physical Investigation for Moon’s Aquatic Scout (PRATHIMA):[30] For in-situ detection and quantification of water-ice mixed with lunar regolith
- Alpha Particle Spectrometer (APS)[30]
- Low Energy Gamma Ray Spectrometer (LEGRS):[30] For measuring low energy (46.5 keV) gamma ray line to study the volatile transport on the Moon with Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors.
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